
rtass BT?ia r 

Book tfil| 

Copyright If, 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



THE 



KING'S HIGHWAY 



OR 



The Story of the Truthseekers' Club 



BY 

M. D. BAUMER 



"Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, 
and it shall be opened unto you." Matt. 7 : 7 



F. h. ROWE, Publisher 

Cincinnati, O. 

1905 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
fwu Oopies rtuceimi 

APR 21 iyu5 



1JR ,a i 



Copyright, 1905, 
By M. D. BAUMER. 



preface:, 



This little volume contains a story that is not alto- 
gether fiction. The characters are taken from life, and 
most of the arguments have been heard again and again. 
The scenes depicted are those which have occurred in the 
author's presence during a ministry of a dozen years. 
This little story simply portrays in modern days what 
was prophesied by Isaiah : "And a highway shall be there, 
and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness ; the 
unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for the 
redeemed: the wayfaring man, yea fools, shall not err 
therein." 

If the reading of The King's Highway shall lead 
some soul to a greater knowledge of the word of God, 
the writer will feel that his labors have not been in vain. 

M. D. B. 



CONTEN TS . 



PAGE 

Preface 3 

Chapter i. The Cause oe it Ale - 5 

Chapter 2. The Ceub's First Meeting 9 

Chapter 3. The Two Covenants 14 

Chapter 4. The Sabbath Day 19 

Chapter 5. Two Hoey Days 27 

Chapter 6. A Sermon on Baptism 33 

Chapter 7. Some Baptisms 39 

Chapter 8. Sprinkee and Dip 48 

Chapter 9. The Necessity op Baptism 60 

Chapter 10. A Discussion on Unity 70 

Chapter ii. Some Modern Theories 82 

Chapter 12. A Surprise 95 

Chapter 13. Gospee Meetings 107 

Chapter 14. The First Convert 119 

Chapter 15. The Last Meeting 128 

Chapter 16. Finis 138 



THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Cause; of It Aix. 



A stranger visiting Westville on the 17th day of 
March, 19 — , would have beheld church members on 
every street earnestly engaged in conversation. Strange 
as it may seem, all this was caused by a notice placed in 
the Westville Gazette by a Seventh-day Advent preacher, 
who had just closed a series of meetings. The notice was 
commonplace, and read as follows : 

"One Hundred Dollars Reward 

"To any one who can prove from the Bible or History 
that Sunday is the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. 
"Elder Joshua Whitman, 

"Whiteville, Michigan." 

Various and curious were the arguments presented by 
friends of both parties. Mrs. Suete was heard to say to 
her friends that her pastor had preached on this subject a 
few Sabbaths previous, and she knew that her church was 
right, because her pastor would never in all this world tell 
a lie about such a thing. And besides, she couldn't under- 
stand why such a pesky fellow as that Whiten, or what- 

(5) 



6 THE KING S HIGHWAY. 

ever his name was, should be allowed to come into any 
respectable community to stir up such a fuss. 

Mr. Lawsler told his comrades that he had attended 
all the meetings, and that the Elder made everything as 
plain as day. Mr. Lawsler was one of Elder Whitman's 
converts, and it was said that he worked diligently every 
Sunday since his conversion. His enemies admitted, how- 
ever, that he worked one day more each week than he did 
before the meetings began. 

John Suete said — everybody called him John, his 
name being a household word in Westville: "If the 
orthodox churches are right, why do they not furnish the 
required evidence and get that one hundred dollars? It 
would be a help to them, and it would also stop this 
excitement." 

John had been denounced as an infidel by the clergy 
of Westville, several of whom had offered him a home 
in their churches, and to whom he had given the answer : 
"I can't find your name or your practices in the Bible, 
and am not hypocrite enough to sanction anything I 
believe to be wrong. When I find a church teaching and 
practicing as the primitive churches did, I will at once 
become a member." 

The day after the excitement he expressed his opinion 
very freely to a friend, who replied that if the preachers 
and members would not investigate it, why should not a 
club in Bible study be organized, and this advertisement 
be used as the first subject? 

"Just the thing," was the reply. "Let us meet here 
to-morrow afternoon for organization. You tell as many 
as you can, and I'll do the same." 



the: king s highway. 7 

The next afternoon saw such a gathering in his office 
that the uninitiated wondered what had happened. The 
company consisted of fifteen persons from eleven fami- 
lies and ten religious beliefs, who soon arranged for a 
permanent organization. 

While they were discussing their plans, Rev. Quenton, 
the Episcopal minister, entered, and asked permission to 
present a note from the ministerium of the city. This 
being granted, he said : " I wish to tell you that this club 
will not meet the approbation of the churches. For this 
reason the ministers protest against this assembly, and in 
their meeting this morning appointed me as a committee 
to visit you. We, who have spent years in the study 
of theology, and have been honored with degrees by our 
respective seminaries and colleges, look upon it as an 
insult to our learning and position. Let us kindly admon- 
ish you to adjourn your meeting and pay no attention 
to that advertisement. It was placed in the paper by a 
religious mountebank, who has no standing whatever 
among orthodox ministers, to create a moment's disturb- 
ance and increase his notoriety. My brethren, as you well 
know, have preached eloquently on this and similar sub- 
jects, to the edifying of their congregations, and it is not 
fitting that a few disgruntled members should undertake 
to overrule them by pretending to learnedly examine any 
religious theories that may be presented to their notice by 
any charlatan who passes through our little city. Your 
pastors are abundantly able to take care of all such 
questions themselves." 

This speech, so uncalled for, and delivered in such a 
domineering manner, aroused the ire of the lawyer, and, 



8 the; king's highway. 

springing to his feet, he replied: "Sir! Allow me to 
say to you that we resent your action as an intrusion on 
our rights. We are free-born American citizens, and are 
interfering with no one. If the clergy of this city are 
abundantly able to handle this question, why have they 
not done so? You may say that you do not believe 
in controversy; you may hurl your innuendoes at the 
stranger who comes to Westville; but the fact remains 
that the clergy have shown themselves either ignorant of 
the question, or presuming upon their authority or their 
superior piety, have thought themselves above looking into 
these things. 

"You may report to your fellow ministers that we 
have met to study our Bibles, and that we will resent 
any interference from them. If any of the friends here 
do not agree with me, let them speak." 

After the minister had departed, Mr. Thomas sug- 
gested that, as they were seeking the truth, they call 
themselves The Truthseekers' Club. This suggestion, 
coupled with one that they should meet on every Thurs- 
day evening at the homes of the members, was imme- 
diately adopted. After discussing rules and other minor 
points of organization, the company separated, to meet 
at the home of John Suete. 



CHAPTER II. 
The Club's First Meeting. 

When Rev. Quenton returned to his fellow ministers 
with the club's report, it was immediately decided that 
such heresy must be stamped out. Following this, a 
proposition was adopted stating that each minister should 
visit those of his members who had declared their inten- 
tion to join the club, and notify them that they would 
incur the displeasure of their churches if they attended. 
This had the effect of keeping several of the timid ones 
away on the following Thursday. However, quite a few 
gathered, and, after conversing a little while, began open- 
ing their Bibles and casting furtive glances at John, as 
if they expected him to take the initiative in the meeting. 
Finally Deacon Rames suggested that they begin. 

Before any of the members could reply, Elder Visson, 
a Seventh-day Advent preacher, who had come on Mr. 
Lawsler's request, began to address the gathering. 

"I understand you are to begin the study of the Sab- 
bath question, and am glad to be with you, so that I can 
give you much needed help. You are all keeping the 
wrong day, and it seems strange to me that you can not 
see your mistake. 

"When Constantine acknowledged Christ, he refused 
to surrender the venerable day of the sun, but brought it 
with him into Christianity, and thus handed it down to 

(9) 



IO THE KING S HIGHWAY. 

the churches of to-day. About 321 A.D. he made the 
following law for his whole nation: 'Let all the judges 
and townspeople and the occupants of all trades rest on 
the venerable day of the sun, but let those who are sit- 
uated in the country freely and at full liberty attend to 
the business of agriculture, because it often happens that 
no other day is fit for sowing corn and planting vines, 
lest the critical moment, being let slip, men should lose 
the commodities granted by heaven.' 

"This was the first time Christians were told to 
observe the first day of the week. And it was first 
enjoined on the churches as the Lord's day in 364 A.D. 
William Prynne, in 'Dissertation on the Lord's-Day Sab- 
bath,' says: 'The seventh-day Sabbath . . . solemnized 
by Christ, the apostles, and the early Christians, till the 
Laodicean Council, did in a manner quite abolish the 
observation of it.' " 

"The gentleman is slightly mixed in his evidence," 
said Professor Harwood when the Elder had concluded. 
"If Constantine was the first to enjoin it on the Chris- 
tians in 321 A.D., the Council certainly was not the first 
to enjoin it in 364 A.D." 

At this point Mr. Upton interrupted him by suggesting 
that they examine the Scriptures. 

Elder Visson immediately opened his Bible and began 
reading Exodus 20:8: "Remember the Sabbath day to 
keep it holy." Then he asked them to turn to Deuter- 
onomy 5:22, and read that: "These words the Lord 
spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the 
midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, 
with a great voice; and he added no more." This state- 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. II 

ment, "And he added no more," he explained, showed 
that the ten commandments are a complete law, and that 
nothing more was added to them. 

" I believe we must keep the holy Sabbath," said Mrs. 
Sherndon, excitedly. "I" — 

"But you don't keep the Sabbath day," replied the 
minister. "You are keeping another day — not a holy 
day, but a heathen festival." 

"Before we go any farther let us see how many of us 
know the proper divisions of the Bible," said Professor 
Harwood. 

As several looked at him quite askance, he continued : 
"You know that certain rules govern the study of every 
subject. We should apply these rules to the Bible to 
learn that each part has its proper use and place. As 
Paul says : ' He taketh away the first that he may establish 
the second' (Heb. 10:5-9)." 

" But that means the ceremonial law," was the reply, 
amidst fervent Amens. 

" Dr. Sherndon, will you turn to the passage of Scrip- 
ture that mentions the ceremonial law?" returned the 
Professor. 

The physician turned the pages a moment, then he 
said: "I don't remember just where it is, but I have 
heard it mentioned quite frequently." 

" Probably Mr. Lawsler can find it." 

" It's in — ah — in — really, I don't recall it now, but 
our preachers often quote it. Brother Visson, do you 
remember the chapter?" 

"No, I don't recall it just now!" 

"Well!" responded the Professor: "while you try to 



12 THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 

find it I will explain my remarks. A friend has put the 
rules I mentioned in rhyme, and I will recite them to you : 

" If knowledge you would obtain, 
Five things observe with care : 

By whom 'twas written, 

To whom 'twas written, 
And why, and when, and where.' 

" By careful study you will discover that the Old Tes- 
tament is divided into three parts, as described by the 
Lord in Luke 24:44: 'All things must needs be fulfilled 
which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, 
and the Psalms, concerning me.' Please notice that law 
is singular, Psalms and prophets plural. 

" The divisions of the New Testament are as plainly 
marked as those of the Old. They are : The Memoirs ; 
Acts of the Apostles ; the Epistles, and Revelations. 

" The Memoirs were written to produce and to in- 
crease faith. As proof of this I refer you to Luke 1 : 1-4; 
John 20: 31, and Romans 10: 17. 

" The Book of Acts is the book of conversions. 
Therefore, when the believer wants to know what to do, 
he studies this book. In it he will find the first gospel 
sermon and its results ; the beginning of the church on 
Pentecost, and the process of conversion. 

" The Epistles were written to Christians. In proof 
of this please read Rom. 1:751 Cor. 1 : 1,2; Gal. 1:2; 

1 Tim. 1:2, etc. These letters are the 'Discipline,' or 
Rule of Faith, of the churches, that the man of God may 
be complete, furnished completely unto every good work. 

2 Tim. 3 : 16, 17. 



the; kings highway. 13 

" The last division is called a revelation of Jesus 
Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants. 
It is prophetic history of God's church and its enemies, 
and is to be read by his people. See Rev 1 : 3. 

" The seven-bowled lampstand, which was the only 
light within the tabernacle, foreshadowed this book — the 
only light of the New Testament temple, which temple 
ye are. The three divisions, Law, Prophets and Psalms, 
pointed forward to the Christ ; while the Acts, Epistles 
and Revelations point back to Him. Between them, as 
it were on the shaft, is the center division, the life of 
Jesus the Messiah." 

" If we accept this method, what will become of the 
Psalms? so many enjoy reading them/' asked Mrs. Suete. 

" They will be understood better and appreciated more 
than at present. Paul enjoins the reading of them upon 
the church (Eph. 5: 19; Col. 3: 16). Read them in the 
light of this method, knowing that the Christ has come, 
and the nations of the world may worship in His name, 
and you will find new beauty in every one of them." 

" I think it is only fair that we give this question 
a thorough examination," spoke an interested listener. 
" The only way to learn the truth is to notice carefully 
every view that is presented. We can not overthrow all 
the false theories in a day. It may be that some of us 
can bring additional light to bear on this subject." 

After a few more suggestions and a general discussion 
of the subject presented, the members and visitors began 
leaving by twos and threes, each one determined to be 
present the next Thursday, and, if possible, bring some 
one with them. 



CHAPTER III. 
The Two Covenants. 

The week following the meeting was a busy one for 
most of the members. They had diligently studied the 
subject discussed, and were anxious to meet again. 
Therefore, when the evening arrived all were ready to 
begin. 

When all had gathered into the spacious parlors of 
Dr. Sherndon's residence, they found that Professor Har- 
wood and Elder Visson were absent. The former soon 
entered, and, apologizing for his tardiness, asked if any 
had found the ceremonial law. 

" I couldn't find it," replied Mr. Upton. " It is 
strange — I am positive it is there, but it continually 
eludes me. I don't understand why I can't find it." 

" The reason you haven't found it is because it is not 
in the Book. It is a theological term, and contradictory 
to the teaching of the Bible. The phrase, 'the law,' is 
there, but the terms 'ceremonial' and 'moral' are not 
coupled with it." 

" It may not be there in so many words," said Elder 
Visson, who had entered in time to hear the foregoing 
remarks, " but the whole tenor of the Bible is to that 
effect. Just notice these differences between the two: 

" i. Moral. — Spoken by God. — Deut. 4: 12. 

Ceremonial. — Spoken by Moses. — Deut. 1 : 1-6. 



THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 1 5 

"2. Moral. — Perfect. — Psa. 19:7. 

Ceremonial. — Made nothing perfect. — Heb. 7: 19. 
"3. Moral. — Every jot and tittle shall stand till 
heaven and earth pass away. — Matt. 5 : 18. 
Ceremonial. — Was added till the seed came. — 
Gal. 3:19." 

" The Elder should read Deuteronomy 1 : 1-6 and learn 
that it was the law spoken by God that Moses spoke," 
said Deacon Rames. "And I think he ought also to read 
Matthew 5 : 18, for he misquoted that. As for his other 
idea, the quotation from Galatians shows that, perfect or 
imperfect, something was wrong, and God repealed it." 

" I would like to have the Professor tell us what he 
thinks the two covenants are ? It appears to me that they 
somehow are connected with the law and the gospel," 
requested the lawyer. 

This proposition being seconded by a majority, the 
Professor told them that long after the first covenant had 
been given, the prophet Jeremiah said : " Behold the days 
come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant 
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah ; not 
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers 
in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them 
out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant they brake,, 
although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord " 
(Jer. 31:31, 32) . And in Galatians 3 : 24, 25, Paul says : 
" The law hath been our tutor to bring us unto Christ, 
that we might be justified by faith." But now that faith 
is come, we are no longer under a tutor." 

Another argument he presented was that the Jews, 



l6 THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 

though all members of the old covenant, persecuted the 
members of the new, both Jew and Gentile, with terrible 
fierceness. Had the two been identical, this would not 
have occurred; therefore the old covenant was to the 
Jews ; but the new to the world. 

Then turning suddenly to Elder Visson, he inquired : 
" What do you call the moral law ?" 

" The Decalogue, or ten commandments." 

" All the rest is ceremonial law ?" 

" Yes !" 

" And all done away with?" 

"Yes! All the ceremonial law is" 

" How many of these commandments are moral ?" 

"What is a good definition of the word 'moral' ?" 
interrupted Mr. Upton. 

" Webster defines it : ' Relating to the practice, man- 
ners or conduct of men, as social beings, in relation to 
each other, and with reference to right and wrong.' ,; 

" Then the Elder must say that six of them are moral 
and four are religious; and we can not honestly call the 
decalogue the moral law." 

Several questions were now asked and answered. 
Then some one asked, If the new covenant was promised 
to Israel, how could it be the gospel which is to go to 
every creature, and if there was not a law of Moses and 
a law of God? 

The following replies were given: 

(i) It was not promised to Israel only. All nations 
would say, Come, let us go up to the house of the God 
of Jacob, and we will walk in his paths. Again, " But 
I speak to you that are Gentiles, inasmuch as I am an 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY IJ 

apostle of Gentiles. But if some of the branches were 
broken off, and thou, being a wild olive, wast grafted 
in among them and didst become partakers with them of 
the root and fatness of the olive tree, glory not over the 
branches ; but if thou gloriest, it is not thou that bearest 
the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then branches 
were broken off that I might be grafted in. Well, by 
their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest 
by faith." 

(2) Read Nehemiah 8: 1-9, and you will learn that 
all the people gathered there and heard the law of God, 
which was the law of Moses. 

" I happen to notice a passage of Scripture which, I 
think, bears upon this subject," exclaimed Deacon Rames. 
"I refer to Hebrews 8: 13. 'In that he saith, A new 
covenant, he hath made the first old. But that which is 
becoming old and waxeth aged is nigh unto vanishing 
away.' " 

Some one now asked what the first covenant was, and 
received the reply that it must be the one given on Sinai, 
and therefore, according to Paul's argument, would pass 
away some time after Jeremiah's day. 

A member then offered the suggestion that Paul said : 
" For this cause he [Christ] is the mediator of a new 
covenant ; that a death having taken place for the redemp- 
tion of the transgressions that were under the first cove- 
nant, they that have been called may receive the promise 
of the eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there 
must of necessity be the death of him that made it. For 
a testament is of force where there hath been a death. 
For doth it ever avail while he that made it liveth ?" 



i8 the king's highway. 

Deacon Rames then continued : " Speaking of his 
coming death on the night in which he instituted the 
Lord's Supper, Jesus took the cup, and, giving thanks, 
handed it to his disciples, saying : ' Drink ye all of it, for 
this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for 
many unto the remission of sins ' (Matt. 26: 27, 28)." 

When the argument was concluded, some one sug- 
gested that, as it was growing late, they should continue 
their investigation of the subject at the next meeting. It 
was also suggested that they re-examine the evening's 
discussion during the week. 

Professor Harwood now requested permission to ask 
a question. It being granted, he said : " If the new cove- 
nant is the decalogue, it was established before the death 
of the testator. How could it be the covenant spoken of 
in Hebrews 9: 15-17?" 

At the conclusion of these remarks the meeting 
adjourned, to meet in one week. 



CHAPTER IV. 

The: Sabbath Day. 

The next meeting was larger and more enthusiastic 
than any of the previous ones ; every one seemed anxious 
to find out how his neighbors had fared. The week had 
been a very exciting one. The week had seemed like the 
one following Elder Whitman's challenge. Rumors of all 
kinds were afloat. Threats of church displeasure and 
angry replies and denunciations were plentiful. One said 
that he had heard that John Suete had organized an infidel 
church, which met in his house every Thursday. Another 
replied that this was their Sabbath day. and that John was 
the clergyman, and preached to his members at their meet- 
ings. One good old lady was told that the new church 
was fixing up a new Bible that would overthrow Christen- 
dom. The ministers were very outspoken against the new 
heresy, and several of them had strongly advised ostra- 
cism to bring the erring ones to their senses. But all 
these things only added fuel to the fire, and aroused the 
curiosity of some who otherwise would not have attended. 
When the club met, there were so many visitors that 
the double doors between the rooms had to be opened. 
As soon as the company were all seated, the Professor 
began the investigation of the evening's topic by saying 
that he had noticed that the hardest counterfeit to dis- 
cover is the one that most nearly resembles the original. 

(•9) 



20 THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 

Therefore, while this question was being discussed all 
should be led away. He said he had tried to show them 
that the law was fulfilled and is not in force to-day, 
though it is not destroyed. To illustrate : When one 
pays a mortgage, it is not destroyed by the act, yet it is 
no longer in force ; it has been canceled. So it is with 
the old covenant ; it has been fulfilled — accomplished ; 
that is, its demands have been complied with. And, as 
has been suggested, if the covenant is the decalogue, then 
the Sabbath is done away with also. He also asked them 
whether or not his quotations showed the decalogue to 
be a part of the law. Then he presented the follow- 
ing: If the new covenant is the decalogue, it must 
have been established before Jesus became the mediator. 
(Heb. 8:6.) 

" Professor, why don't you believe in keeping the 
Sabbath?" asked some one. 

" I am compelled to say, after searching the Scrip- 
tures, that there is no command for Christians to keep 
the Sabbath. One reason I give to uphold this doctrine 
is, that the Sabbath was not given for more than twenty 
centuries after creation. The first mention of it as a day 
to be observed is found in Exodus 16: 23. God had told 
Moses that he would provide for the children of Israel. 
He said : ' Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you, 
and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion 
every day, that I may prove them whether they will walk 
in my law or no. And it shall come to pass on the sixth 
day that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and 
it shall be twice as much as they gather daily' (Exodus 
16: 4, 5). 'And it came to pass that on the sixth day they 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 21 

gathered as much bread, two omers for each one, and all 
the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And 
he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath 
spoken, To-morrow is a solemn rest, a holy sabbath unto 
the Lord : bake that which ye shall bake, and seethe that 
which ye shall seethe, and all that remaineth over lay up 
for you to be kept until the morning' (Exodus 16 : 22, 23) . 
If they had been accustomed to keeping the Sabbath, why 
were they surprised when the people obeyed the command ? 

" Prior to 1647 A.D. [Hale's Chronology] the Scrip- 
tural history of Sabbath-keeping among men is an entire 
blank. If any sacred day was observed, we have no record 
to tell us which of the days of the week it was. And it 
is certain that no such Sabbath as that which is found in 
the decalogue was kept by any people, for all the elements 
which enter into Sabbath-keeping had not then trans- 
pired. Justin Martyr says that the patriarchs were justi- 
fied before God in not keeping the Sabbaths. And again, 
from Abraham originated circumcision, and from Moses 
the Sabbath. 

"Another reason why we do not observe it is, that it 
was given to the Jews only. I turn to Exodus 16 and 20, 
and learn that Israel stood before Sinai. When I read of 
the crossing of the Red Sea, I know it was the Jewish 
nation thai passed over. And when T read of the giving 
of the law, I read about the Hebrew people receiving it. 

" In the prayer found in Nehemiah 9: 14, the Levites 
speak of their fathers, and say : ' Thou madest known to 
them thy holy Sabbaths.' And in Nehemiah 4:8: ' What 
great nation is there that hath statutes and judgments so 
righteous as all their law which I set before yon this day ?' 



22 THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 

" The ten commandments were not given to the Jewish 
patriarchs — Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For Deuteron- 
omy 5: 1-3 states that Moses called unto all Israel and 
said unto them : ' Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the 
judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that you 
may learn and observe to do them. The Lord our God 
made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not 
this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us who 
are all of us here alive this day.' This included the Sab- 
bath, and was limited to that nation. It was given at its 
birth, and passed away with its death. ' It is a sign be- 
tween me and Israel, saith the Lord.' Exodus 31 : 13-17." 

" I have some proofs showing that we must keep the 
Sabbath day holy," interrupted Elder Visson. "(1) Jesus 
kept the day. (2) Sunday was given by the Roman 
Church through the Emperor Constantine and the Council 
of Laodicea. Constantine gave the following as his rea- 
son : ' Let us have nothing in common with the most 
hostile rabble of the Jews/ (3) The Sabbath was made 
for man. (4) Paul preached on the Sabbath. (5) God 
gave the law of the Sabbath at creation. (6) Read Acts 
13:42; 16:13. (7) Christ commanded his disciples to 
keep it. ( Matt. 24 : 20. ) These proofs are conclusive, 
and I am anxious to see what the Professor will do 
with them." 

" Before I notice these proofs, I want to present to 
your notice another passage of Scripture in order to 
strengthen my position," was the response. " Exodus 
34: 1,27, reads: 'And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew 
thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will 
write upon the tables the words that were on the first 



THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 23 

tables which thou breakest. And the Lord said unto 
Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of 
these words I have made a covenant with thee and with 
Israel: 

" The Elder says Jesus kept the Sabbath. True ! 
He also was circumcised and kept the passover. Why? 
Because the old covenant was not abrogated until it was 
nailed to the cross. Until that time all Hebrews and 
proselytes were compelled to observe it. The Scriptures 
teach us that when the fullness of time came, God sent 
forth his Son, born of a woman, under the law, that he 
might redeem them which were under the law. — Gal. 
4:4,5. He is the testator of the new covenant, which 
could not be in force until the death of the testator. 

" In regard to Sunday, I deny the gentleman's state- 
ment. If the disciples had been in the habit of meeting 
on the Sabbath, Luke would have recorded it in the Acts 
of the Apostles. But we find another day referred to 
there. Paul spent seven days in Troas (Acts 20:6,7) ; 
there is no record of a Sabbath meeting, but upon the 
first day of the week, when the disciples gathered to break 
bread, Paul preached to them. The Elder says it was 
changed by an emperor and a council. If one did it, the 
other did not. Again, the Council of Laodicea was a 
Greek Catholic, not a Roman Catholic Council. Again, 
the Roman Catholic Church does not say that a Pope 
changed the day, but that the apostles did it. 

" 'Question: Are the Sabbath day and the Sunday the 
same? 

" 'Answer: The Sabbath dav and the Stindav are not 



24 THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 

the same. The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, 
and is the day which was kept holy in the old law; the 
Sunday is the first day of the week, and is the day kept 
holy in the new law. 

' 'Question: Why does the Church command us to 
keep the Sunday holy instead of the Sabbath? 

" 'Answer: The Church commands us to keep the 
Sunday holy instead of the Sabbath because on Sunday 
Christ rose from the dead, and on Sunday he sent the 
Holy Ghost upon the apostles.' — A Catechism of Christian 
Doctrine, p. jj. 

" 'Question: What are the days which the Church 
commands us to be kept holy? 

" 'Answer: The Sunday, or our Lord's day. which we 
observe by apostolic tradition, instead of the Sabbath.' — 
The Catholic Christian Instructed. 

" Another idea of the Elder's is that the Sabbath, being 
made for man, it must be made for all men. Is this so? 
The law, including the Sabbath, was given four hundred 
and thirty years after the promise given to Abraham. 
See Gal. 3:16,17; Exod. 12:40,41. Moses said this 
law or covenant was given to those who were at Sinai. 
(Deut 5:1-3.) It was given to Jews only, and was given 
to bless them, not to inflict upon them needless suffering. 
Jesus was not giving a history of the Sabbath, but was 
defending his disciples against the charge of Sabbath- 
breaking. Hence he said the Sabbath was made for man, 
and not man for the Sabbath. Paul says : ' Let no man, 
therefore, judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of 



THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 25 

a feart chy, or a new moon, or a Sabbath day; which are 
a shadow of the things to come ' (Col. 2: 16). 

" Why should we notice the statement that Paul 
preached on the Sabbath when we know that he preached 
every day, and if he wanted to preach to the Jews, he 
must meet with them on their sacred day? 

"And now, as regards his next argument, which 
seemed to meet the approbation of most of you. Moses 
says (Deut. 5 : 2, 3) : ' The Lord our God made a cove- 
nant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this cove- 
nant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all 
here alive this day.' Shall we believe Elder Visson or 
Moses ; which ? 

"Again, we have been asked to read Acts 13: 42, and 
Acts 16: 13. There is nothing in these passages bearing 
upon the Sabbath day except that Paul preached to cer- 
tain Jews and proselytes, who wanted to hear him again 
on their next meeting day, and that on a certain Sabbath 
he went to a Jewish prayer meeting and preached Christ. 

" We find nothing in the Scriptures that teach that the 
Sabbath was to be observed by the Gentiles. On the con- 
trary, we find that when certain Pharisees which believed 
said the Gentile Christians should be circumcised and keep 
the law of Moses, the apostles and elders at Jerusalem 
met, and Paul said : ' Why tempt ye God to put a yoke 
upon the Gentiles, which neither we nor our fathers could 
bear ?' James said : ' My sentence is that we trouble not 
them which from among the Gentiles are turned to God.' 
See Acts 15: 4-31. 

" The greatest mistake of our Sabbatarian friends is 
that they put the Sabbath where the Bible puts faith in 



26 THE KING'S HIGHWAY 

Jesus the Christ. Their leader, Mrs. White, says: 'The 
Sabbath is the great question which is to decide the 
destiny of souls.' — Great Controversy Between Christ and 
Saton, p. S37- 

" There are two great memorials in the Bible, one for 
the Old Testament people and the other for the New Tes- 
tament people. The first is the Sabbath day ; the second, 
the Lord's Supper. Both celebrate the leading of a nation 
out of bondage into freedom. God gave the fourth com- 
mandment to the Israelites and said : ' Thou shalt remem- 
ber that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and the 
Lord thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand 
and by a stretched-out arm: therefore the Lord thy God 
commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day ' (Deut. 5 : 14). 
Jesus Christ instituted the Lord's Supper, telling his dis- 
ciples to do this in remembrance of him. Each had a 
purpose in view, and each accomplished its purpose. 

" In conclusion let me point you to a lesson from the 
Scriptures : One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question 
tempting him, ' Master, which is the great commandment 
in the law ?' And Jesus replied : ' Thou shalt love thy 
God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with 
all thy mind. And the second great one is: Thou shalt 
love thy neighbor as thyself.' Not a word about Sabbath- 
keeping." 

As it was growing late, it was decided to suspend fur- 
ther discussion until the next meeting, and the company 
departed to their homes. 



CHAPTER V. 
Two Holy Days. 

The next Thursday evening was dark and stormy. A 
chilly west wind was driving occasional showers of rain 
and sleet against windows and buildings, and but few 
ventured to attend the meeting. Hence, instead of dis- 
cussing the regular subject, the evening was profitably 
spent in reviewing the past work of the club. A part of 
the time was used to discuss the actions of the ministers 
and committees and the probable future results of their 
bigotry. 

The following Thursday was a beautiful day. and a 
large number of friends met with the club. Mr. Lawsler 
was a little later than the others, but arrived before the 
meeting was called to order. He excused himself on his 
arrival by saying that Elder Yisson had been called away 
<~>n business, and had left some proofs, and that he had 
forgotten them and was compelled to return for them. 

When opportunity was given, after the meeting opened. 
he said : '* These proofs will establish the fact that the 
Sabbath is still in force, (i) The religious world has 
pretended to keep the Sabbath for sixteen hundred years. 
(2) The Sabbath was made for man. Xow. the word )>ian 
means all men: there is no limit to it. (3) There was 
a mixed multitude at Sinai. A mixed multitude means 
Jews and Gentiles, and both were at that mountain. 1 4) 



28 THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 

The Sabbath was an everlasting covenant. (5) Christ 
commanded his disciples to keep it. — Matt. 24:20." 

John Suete replied to these proofs by saying : " I have 
been studying this question very carefully, and will notice 
these new arguments in their order. I confess I am sur- 
prised to hear some of them in this enlightened age. ( 1 ) 
Let me ask, Why did the religious world pretend to keep 
the Sabbath? Because they misunderstood the purpose 
of the day. But what has that to do with God's com- 
mands? It surely does not prove anything about the 
Lord's commands concerning any day. 

" (2) The Sabbath was made for man. It has been 
plainly shown that it was not for all men, so I need not 
waste any time with that. But Mr. Lawsler has a false 
idea about this passage of Scripture. It teaches that the 
Pharisees, and I may add the Advents, are wrong; they 
acted as if man had been made for the Sabbath ; as if 
the day was an unyielding mold into which man must 
be forced. Jesus taught that the day was for the benefit 
of God's ancient people ; and when it disappeared and the 
Lord's day took its place, this was seen by all who read 
in the light of the greater knowledge. 

"(3) What says the Scriptures? 'And the children 
of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six 
hundred thousand on foot that were men, besides women 
and children. And a mixed multitude went up also with 
them ; and flocks and herds, even very much cattle y 
(Ex. 12:37,38). If the simple fact that others were 
with the Jews gave them the commandments, that same 
fact would give them to very much cattle. God said to 
Abraham that if a man were born in his house or bought 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 29 

with his money, he should be circumcised as a proof of 
his membership in the covenant. If this mixed multitude 
was circumcised, it became a part of God's people ; if not, 
then it was not so. Exodus 19: 3 says : ' Thus shalt thou 
say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel.' 
No other people are mentioned. In Deuteronomy 23 : 7, 8, 
I read: 'Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite, for he is thy 
brother : thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian, because thou 
wast a stranger in his land. The children that are begot- 
ten of them shall enter into the congregation of the Lord 
in their third generation.' " 

" May I present a fact to show that Adam could not 
have kept the Sabbath according to the Sinai law ?" asked 
Deacon Rames. " The command is, ' Labor six days and 
rest on the seventh.' Adam was created on the sixth day 
(Gen. 1:27; 2:21,22). His first day was God's sixth, 
and his seventh would have been God's fifth." 

" The Jews kept the day in a different manner than it 
is kept to-day," said a member. " Moses taught them as 
follows: (1) 'Abide ye every man in his place on the 
seventh day ; let no man go out of his place on the seventh 
day' (Ex. 16: 29). (2) 'Ye shall kindle no fire through- 
out your habitation upon the Sabbath day' (Ex. 35:3). 
(3) 'In it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, 
nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidser- 
vant, nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy 
gates' (Ex. 20: 10). Who has not seen Sabbatarians 
driving to meeting on Saturday? (4) 'Violators must be 
punished by death' (Ex. 31:14,15; Num. 15:32-36)." 

Mr. Upton now arose and said : "Friends, I have been 
studying about the first day of the week, and I find the 



30 THE KINGS HIGHWAY 

following passages in the New Testament: Matt. 28: 1 : 
Mark 16: 2; Luke 24 : 1 ; John 20: 1 : Luke 24: 13-33: 
Luke 24 : 36-43 ; John 20 : 36 ; Acts 2 : 20 : 7 : 1 Cor. 
16: 1,2, and Rev. 1 : 10. I also find from Lev. 2^ : 15-21 
that Pentecost came on the first day of the week. 

" I believe Mr. Lawsler referred to Matt. 24 : 30 as a 
proof. If you will read this, you will learn that because 
Jerusalem would fall, they should not come off the house- 
tops ; nor return from the fields ; nor go on the Sabbath 
day ; nor in the winter. Why ? On the Sabbath the gates 
would be shut, and traveling on that day would arouse 
suspicion and delay them ; and in winter they would have 
to undergo too much suffering." 

Dr. Sherndon supplemented the foregoing with the 
following quotations: 

Smith's Bible Dictionary. — " The Lord's day existed 
during these two centuries as a part of apostolic and so of 
Scriptural Christianity. ... It was never confounded 
with the Sabbath, but carefully distinguished from it." 

S chaff -Hertzog Encyclopedia, Art. Sunday. — " In the 
second century its observance was universal. The Jewish 
Christians ceased to observe the Sabbath after the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem." 

Clark's Commentary. — " The first day of the week was 
observed as a Christian Sabbath because on it Jesus Christ 
rose from the dead ; therefore it was called the Lord's day, 
and has taken the place of the Jewish Sabbath throughout 
the world." 

Jamie son, Fausett and Brown. — " This [Rev. 1 : 10] 
is the earliest mention of the term, ' The Lord's day.' 
But the consecration of the day to worship, alms giving. 



THH KING? HIGHWAY. 31 

and the Lord's Supper is implied in Acts 20:7: i Cor 
11 : 20: 16: 2." 

Id. I Cor. 16:2. — "First day of the week — already 
kept sacred by Christians as the day of the Lord's resur- 
rection, the beginning both of physical and of the new- 
spiritual creation." 

Ignatius [First Century]. — "If. therefore, those who 
were brought up in the ancient order of things have come 
to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the 
Sabbath day, but living in the celebration of the Lord's 
day. on which also our life has sprung up again." 

Justin Martyr [Second Century]. — ''But Sunday is 
the day on which we all hold our common assemblies, 
because Jesus Christ, our Savior, on the same day rose 
from the dead." 

Peter, Bishop of Alexandria [Third Century]. — " The 
Lord's day we celebrate as a day of joy because on it he 
rose again." 

When the Doctor had finished his quotations, the 
Deacon called attention to the fact that they had not 
answered Mr. Lawsler's statement about the Sabbath 
being an everlasting covenant, and explained that when 
one broke a contract, that released both parties. He then 
showed them that the Tews had broken this covenant 
again and again, and quoted the following: 

" They have transgressed the laws, changed the ordi- 
nances, and broken the everlasting covenant " (Isa. 2_ 

" I will also cause her mirth to cease, her feasts, her 
new moons and her Sabbaths, and her solemn assemblies " 
(Hosea 2: 11). 

In the informal discussion that followed it was agreed 



$2 THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 

to take note of anything special in the sermons of the 
following Sunday, and use them as subjects for investi- 
gation, because a common conclusion seemed to have 
been reached on the former ones. The meeting then 
adjourned, with many expressions of pleasure and good 
will. 



CHAPTER VI. 
A Sermon on Baptism. 

The audience that gathered in the Fourth Street 
Church Sunday morning heard a sermon from Matthew 
28: 19, 20. The minister argued that sprinkling was 
baptism ; that infants should be baptized and afterwards 
taught ; and that immersion was not always convenient and 
had proved dangerous. After the sermon he announced 
that any one desiring baptism should present themselves 
at the altar. Several went forward in answer to this 
invitation, some to accept sprinkling and one to demand 
immersion. 

One of those who went forward was a young woman 
with a two months' old baby in her arms, which she 
wanted christened. The preacher passed from one to 
another, placing his hand in the bowl and then on the 
heads of the candidates, pronouncing in each case the bap- 
tismal formula. When he came to the mother and child, 
she submitted to the act, but the child began to kick and 
cry. Despite this opposition, however, the ceremony was 
completed. John, who had been a close observer, turned 
to his wife and whispered : " That's what I call water 
salvation; there is no faith nor repentance in it; nothing 
but water. Didn't you hear your preacher read, ' None 
shall enter the kingdom of God, except he be regenerated 
and born anew of water and the Holy Ghost' ? And in 

(33) 



34 THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 

his prayer he said, ' We call upon Thee for thes persons, 
that they, coming to thy holy baptism, may receive remis- 
sion of their sins by spiritual regeneration' — and, say! 
I thought your Church gave candidates their choice of 
modes." 

" It does," she replied. " Didn't you hear the minister 
say so?" 

" Yes ! But that child seemed to be opposed to 
sprinkling, yet it was compelled to accept it." 

" The child isn't old enough to understand." 

"Then what good did the sprinkling do " 

Mrs. Suete's reply was drowned in the singing of the 
doxology and the matter was dropped. But on Thurs- 
day evening, as soon as the club had assembled. John 
presented the matter, and asked some one to explain it 

Deacon Rames told him that there was no Scripture 
for the practice, but that it was borrowed from the Roman 
Catholic Church. Of course this view was objected to by 
many of the members. Mrs. Suete voiced their sentiment 
by exclaiming : " Our pastor spoke of the baptism of 
entire households, and of nations. Surely there were 
infants there." 

" There are also idiots and drunkards, but we don't 
baptize them," was the rejoinder. 

" But Jesus said, ' Suffer the little ones to come unto 
me.' Did he not baptize them, then?" 

" There is nothing said about baptism in the passage ; it 

states that he laid his hands on them. Mark says he took 

them in his arms and blessed them. (Mark 10: 13-16.)" 

" I want to ask you all a question," said John Suete. 

" In all your study and searching in the New Testament, 



the; kings highway. 35 

have you ever seen a single command or example for 
infant baptism?" 

No one answered for a moment, then Deacon Rames 
said : "I don't believe there is such a command. Fur- 
thermore, no Pedobaptist has, to my knowledge, ever pre- 
sented a passage sufficiently plain to satisfy the conscience 
of Bible readers. Every Scripture brought to prove the 
doctrine of infant baptism has been shown by Pedobap- 
tist scholars not to prove it. Look at the army of noted 
teachers who say there is no such command : 

" Moses Stewart : ' Commands, or plain and certain 
examples, in the New Testament relative to it, I do 
not find.' 

" Drs. Wood and Wall: ' It is a plain case that there 
is no express precept respecting infant baptism in our 
sacred writings.' 

"Professor Lange : 'All attempts to make out infant 
baptism from the New Testament fail. It is totally 
opposed to the spirit of the apostolic age, and to the 
fundamental principles of the New Testament.' ' 

" If these things are true, when did infant baptism 
begin?" asked some one. 

" It must have been as late as the third century. Com- 
pulsory infant baptism was unknown before the Council 
of Nice (321 A.D.). Infant baptism has no meaning 
without Christian family life. 

" Tertullian (150-220 A.D.), as translated by Dr. 
Wall, says : ' Our Lord says, indeed, do not forbid them 
to come. Therefore, let them come when they are grown 
up; let them come when they understand, when they are 
instructed whither it is that thev come.' 



36 THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 

" Hyppolytus (about 240 A.D.) : 'We, in our days, 
never defended the baptism of children, which in our day 
had only begun to be practiced in some regions.' ' 

"Didn't baptism come in the room of circumcision?'' 
asked Mrs. Rames. 

" No !" was the reply. " Circumcision was typical of 
a circumcised heart. — Rom. 2:29; Col. 2:11. Baptism 
is a type of a burial and resurrection. — Col. 2: 12. A 
type can not be a type of a type, therefore circumcision 
can not be a type of baptism. 

" When the question of circumcision was brought 
before the church at Antioeh (Acts 15: 1-35), the matter 
was referred to the apostles at Jerusalem. They sent a 
letter to the church in which they said nothing about bap- 
tism in the room of circumcision. Had there been any 
such teaching, they would certainly have mentioned it in 
this connection. Again, if we rightly consider the differ- 
ences between the two rites, we will find them too great 
to have any connection. 

" (1) Circumcision was for males only. Baptism for 
males and females. 

" (2) Circumcision was by positive law, and minis- 
tered to the subject on the eighth day. Baptism is 
administered when the subject requires it. 

"(3) Circumcision was a parental duty (Genesis 
17: 11-14). Baptism is a personal duty (Acts 2: $j, 38). 

" (4) Every male child that was not circumcised was 
to be cast out (Genesis 17: 14). Who is there that will 
say that of unbaptized infants? 

" (5) Circumcision extended to all the male servants 
in the house of the Jew, even those bought with his 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 37 

money. This rule is never followed in regard to baptism. 

" (6) If circumcision was merely a forerunner of bap- 
tism, why did Peter command the Jews on Pentecost to 
repent and be baptized? 

" (7) If baptism is in the room of circumcision, why 
was Paul baptized?" 

" There are several reasons why infant baptism can 
not be universally accepted," began the Professor. " It 
conflicts with the command of Jesus to baptize believers, 
and it is based on the folly of water regeneration — I 
mean by that the belief that baptism only will wash away 
the sins of the person baptized. Of course if infants are 
guilty of that theological thing called original sin, they 
would be proper subjects for baptizing; but as that is only 
imagination, infant baptism is pure nonsense." 

" Did not Paul teach that children as well as adults 
should be baptized?" asked Mrs. Upton. " I read in his 
letter to the Hebrews : ' For if the blood of goats and 
bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have 
been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh ' 
(Heb. 9: 13). Again: 'For when every commandment 
had been spoken by Moses unto all the people according 
to the law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, 
with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled 
both the book itself, and all the people' (Heb. 9: 19)." 

" This was a type of cleansing by Christ's blood, as 
we learn if we read more. l For if the blood of goats and 
bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have 
been defiled [not the innocent and pure], sanctify them 
unto the cleansing of the flesh, how much more shall the 
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered 



3& the king's highway. 

himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your con- 
science from dead works to serve the living God.' Again : 
' This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded 
you-ward. Moreover, the tabernacle and all the vessels 
of the ministry he sprinkled in like manner with the 
blood.' In all these instances ashes, blood and water were 
sprinkled upon persons and vessels. See Exodus 24 : 8 ; 
Leviticus 16:14; Numbers 19:17-19. The Hebrews to 
whom Paul wrote understood these to refer to the 
sacrificial services." 

At the conclusion of these remarks a general con- 
versation ensued, during which Deacon Rames and the 
Professor promised to convince those who were not yet 
satisfied that Pedobaptism had no grounds for existence, 
at the same time challenging the believers in infant bap- 
tism to produce a single precept or command for their 
belief. Several of the members expressed themselves as 
satisfied with the explanations given. Others, among 
them Mr. Title, Mr. Thomas, Mrs. Sherndon and Mrs. 
Suete, denied that infant baptism had been overthrown, 
and agreed to produce Scriptural evidence for the prac- 
tice. The meeting then adjourned to meet the next week, 
according to its usual custom. 



CHAPTER VII. 
Some Baptisms. 

Thursday evening brought such an increased attend- 
ance that they could not be comfortably seated. Because 
of this, it was decided not to hold a regular meeting, but 
to appoint a committee to secure a hall for the future. 
With this understanding the meeting adjourned. 

The committee had considerable trouble to find a suit- 
able place, but finally decided on a store room that could 
easily be arranged for meetings. The members were then 
notified through the columns of the Gazette and the Nezvs, 
and met three weeks from the last meeting. 

All were delighted with their new quarters and eager 
to continue their meetings. Hence, as soon as they could 
come to order, Mrs. Suete attacked the Professor and 
Deacon Rames by telling them that she had several long 
talks with her pastor on the subject of baptism, and had 
come to the conclusion that their promises were mere 
bombast and could not be fulfilled. And, further, that if 
they had read the household baptisms, especially that of 
Lydia's, they would not have made such promises. 

" I suppose Mrs. Suete's idea is that Lydia's house- 
hold was baptized upon her faith," said the Professor. 

" Yes ! that is my idea. We are taught that we 
who are believers must see that the child is baptized and 

(39) 



40 THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 

taught, as soon as it is able to learn, the nature of the 
ordinance." 

" That is my idea also," said Mrs. Bane. " Our Dis- 
cipline says : ' In presenting this child for baptism, you 
not only signify your faith in the Christian religion, of 
which baptism is an ordinance, but also your desire that 
this child may early know and follow the will of God.' ' : 

" If that position be upheld, it should naturally follow 
that when the wife was converted, her husband, no matter 
how mean and low, and her children, whether good or 
bad, must be baptized upon her faith. But even if we 
should admit that this doctrine is right, it would not 
prove that there were infants in Lydia's house. The 
word household does not necessarily include children. 
Hermes, whom Paul speaks of in Romans 16: 14. says: 
' Now I say to you, if you do not keep them, but neglect 
them, you will not be saved, nor your children, nor your 
house' (Com. 12, Chap. 3). Again he says: 'These 
things shall you observe, with all your children and your 
house' (Sim. 5, Chap. 3). So, also, Moses, in Genesis 
47:24, says: 'Ye shall give the fifth part to Pharaoh, 
and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, 
and for your food, and for them of your households, and 
for food for your little ones.' 

" To prove that Lydia had infant children yon must 
assume: (1) That she was married. (2) That she had 
children. (3) That one or more were infants. (4) That 
they were with her. 

"We learn by reading Acts 16:40 that the converts 
in Philippi were old enough to appreciate the sufferings 
of Paul and Silas, and to be comforted bv them." 



THE KING S HIGHWAY. 41 

" Why did yon say we must assume that she had chil- 
dren with her? How do you know that she wasn't at 
home?" asked some one. 

"The Scriptures (Acts 16: 13-15) tell us that Lydia 
was a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, and her 
conversion occurred in Philippi." 

y Professor, I believe you and the Deacon claim that 
no one has been baptized unless they have been im- 
mersed?" interrupted Mr. Title. "Isn't that too strong 
a view? I don't believe that either the Savior or his 
apostles gave us a clear command as to just how much 
water should be applied, or the manner in which it is to 
be used. To claim that none can be regarded as in the 
visible church who do not baptize precisely as we do 
denotes, as I think, a want of careful study, as well as 
Christian courtesy." 

" Yes ! And the Bible says John baptized in the wil- 
derness," cried Mrs. Bane. " If he immersed, where did 
he find enough water?" 

"And Matthew says Jesus came to Jordan to be bap- 
tized of him. I don't see any immersion there," responded 
Mrs. Thomas. 

''Allow me to read the full account of John's bap- 
tism," was the reply, "and maybe we can find some 
grounds for immersion : 

"1. 'Then went out unto him Jerusalem and all 
Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, and they 
were baptized of him in the river Jordan.' — Matt. 3: 5. 6 

"2. 'And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up 
straightway from the water.' — Matt. 3 : 16. 

"3. 'And there went out unto him all the country of 



42 THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 

Judaea, and all they of Jerusalem ; and they were baptized 
of him in the river Jordan.' — Mark 1:5. 

"4. 'And it came to pass in those days that Jesus 
came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John 
in the Jordan.' — Mark 1 : 9. 

"5. 'And John also was baptizing in Aenon, near to 
Salem, because there was much water there.' — John 3 : 22. 

" The plain teaching of these passages is that John 
was baptizing in the river Jordan, not at or near by ; 
that Jesus was baptized in (the marginal reading is into) 
the river; that he came up out of the water, and that 
after being baptized he came from the water. Had John 
been sprinkling, it would not have been necessary to be 
baptized where much water could be found. Again, if 
sprinkling or pouring are modes of baptism, we can sub- 
stitute them for that word ; but you know that is impos- 
sible, for to sprinkle means to scatter or disperse in small 
drops or particles, and to pour means to cause to flow, 
as a liquid." 

At the conclusion of these remarks, Rev. Showter, 
who was present, arose and said: "After a close study of 
God's holy Word, I must conclude that John's baptism 
was a Jewish ceremony of purification. He was a priest, 
and was engaged in his official work according to the law 
of Moses. The common people and the authorities of 
the Jewish Church recognized this, and there never was 
any controversy concerning it. The law never required 
immersion, hence Christ must have been baptized by 
sprinkling, according to the Jewish law and custom." 

" I would like to know where the gentleman learned 
all this?" said Deacon Rames. "If the Jews were sat- 



the kings men wav. 43 

istied with him. and he was performing a well-known 
Jewish ceremony, why did they ask. 'Who art thou? 
What sayest thou of thyself ' (John 1:19,22.) And 
why did John reply. ' I am the voice of one crying in 
the wilderness'? (John 1:23.) Why didn't he say, I 
am one of your priests, performing a Jewish ceremony ? 
Undoubtedly because he was not a priest, and was not 
performing the Jewish ceremony of purification. It is 
certain that they did not recognize him as a priest, for 
they reasoned in their hearts concerning him whether 
haply he were the Christ, and they asked him, ' Why 
baptizeth thou, if thou art not the Christ, neither Elijah, 
neither the prophet ?' " 

' They must have known that the Christ was to come 
from the tribe of Judah, not from the priestly tribe of 
Levi." added a member. " 'But thou, Bethlehem Eph- 
ratah, which art little to be among the thousands of 
Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is 
to be a ruler in Israel ' (Micah 5:2). ' The scepter shall 
not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between 
his feet, until Shiloh come' (Gen. 49: 10)." 

"'Adam Clark, the noted commentator, says: 'The 
baptism of John was by plunging the body after this 
same manner as the washing of unclean persons was." 

" How could the apostles baptize three thousand people 
in one day if they did it by immersion?" asked Mr. Upton. 

" If you will figure a little, you will find that the 
twelve could do it, from noon to six o'clock, by immers- 
ing forty-three persons each every hour. To show you 
how easy this would be, let me read an excerpt from 
The Christian News, Bethany, Nebraska March, 1903: 



44 the king's highway. 

' Last Sunday we immersed forty in the river in seventeen 
and one-half minutes.' " 

"Allowing that they could have baptized that many, 
where could they have found water enough?" 

" In the pool of Siloam (John 9:7, 11) ; the pool of 
Bethesda (John 5:7), or any of the other pools in the 
neighborhood. The pool of Siloam was six feet by ninety, 
large enough itself for the purpose." 

" But does the word always mean into?" persisted 
Mr. Title. " I heard a minister say the other day that 
they came to a certain water and came up from the water." 

" If you will carefully read the account of the eunuch's 
baptism, you will find it was otherwise. They came unto 
a certain water — went down both into the water — Philip 
baptized the eunuch — they came up out of the water. 

" The word translated into is eis, and is used as fol- 
lows: 'Gather the wheat into [eis] the garner.' — Matt. 
3:12; 'Be cast into [eis] prison.' — Matt. 5:25: 'If it 
fall into [eis] a pit.' — Matt. 12: 11 ; ' Which is taken from 
you into [eis] heaven.' — Acts 1: 11; 'They brought him 
into [eis] the upper chamber.' — Acts 9:39. There are 
many other instances, but these will suffice." 

" I want to hear more about those household bap- 
tisms," said Mrs. Suete. " How was the jailor's family 
baptized while Paul and Silas were in the dungeon?" 

" The baptisms didn't take place in the dungeon," 
replied the Deacon. " When the keeper of the prison 
learned that his prisoners were safe, he called for a light, 
and sprang in and fell down before them, and brought 
them out. Then he asked, ' Sirs, what must I do to be 
saved?' After thev had spoken to him the word of the 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY 45 

Lord, and to all that were in his house, the jailor took 
them — most probably to the river that runs close by, 
where also they found Lydia. After the baptism he 
brought them into his house." 

" Paul wasn't dipped," cried an angry voice from the 
rear of the hall. "Ananias said to him, 'Arise and be 
baptized.' Anastis means having arisen, or to stand. So 
Paul must have stood up, and was sprinkled right there 
in the house." 

" I am afraid our friend has drawn somewhat on his 
imagination," said Professor Harwood. " Liddell and 
Scott define anastas, to arise, to leave their homes. 
Thayer defines it, to leave a place, to go elsewhere. Paul 
himself tells us how he was baptized : ' We were buried 
therefore with him through baptism into death, that like 
as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of 
the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life ' 
(Rom. 6:4). Again: 'Having been buried with him in 
baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through 
faith in the working of God, who raised him from the 
dead' (Col. 2:12). Ananias told Paul to wash away 
his sins in baptism. The word lono, wash, is defined by 
Robinson, to wash the entire body. By Liddell and Scott, 
a washing or bathing." 

" If the members of the club have no objection, I 
would like to add a little to what has been said," began 
the Baptist minister, rising. 

" The Hebrew word tabillah, baptism, from the root 
tabal, signifies everywhere submersion, never sprinkling 
or pouring. 



46 the king's highway. 

" The Hebrew Lexicons define the word by immersion 
or its equivalent. 

" Gesenius : ' Immersit, submersus est/ 
" Tregelles : 'To dip, to dip in, to immerse." 
" Englishman's Hebrew and English Concordance : 
'Dip.' In Job 9:31, 'plunge.' 

"Swing's Exhaustive Concordance: 'Dip. plunge." " 
Rev. Morner followed the Baptist minister, and caused 
some little excitement by saying: "Friends, I am sorry 
to see you meeting here from night to night engaged in 
this needless wrangle. You can accomplish nothing in 
this way. These questions have been settled long ago, 
and you can not add one iota of information about them. 
You will only unsettle your faith in the things of God 
If you would all pray more and read less, you would be 
better off. God always had infants in his kingdom, and 
you can't put them out ; therefore we must have them in 
the church." 

"What do you mean by the church?" asked John 
Suete. " Do you have infants in your church ?" 

" You know as well as I do what I mean. Let me 
repeat. Cease this needless wrangling; it will cause you 
to lose faith in God." 

" Yes, I know what you, or rather what your Disci- 
pline means by the church, and that is the reason I asked. 
Your Discipline [Art. 13] says: 'The visible church of 
Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in which the 
pure word of God is preached and the Sacraments duly 
administered according to Christ's ordinance, in all those 
things that of necessity are requisite to the same.' You 
surely do not find infants in that kind of a church." 



THK KING S HIGHWAY. 47 

This effectually silenced the gentleman, and after some 
general conversation, the club agreed to continue the sub- 
ject at the next meeting. Some of the members agreed 
that immersion was all right, but that sprinkling was 
somewhere in the Bible. Some were certain that some 
one mentioned sprinkling water upon people. Others 
thought that if they were baptized with the Holy Ghost, 
it made no difference whether they were baptized with 
water or not. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
Sprinkle and Dip. 

The next Thursday was a rainy one, and many proph- 
esied a failure, because people do not' attend religious 
meetings on stormy nights — that is, some people do not. 
But so great was the interest in the investigations that all 
the members and quite a few visitors were present. The 
Deacon and the Professor, conscious of the strength of 
their position, were ready to begin the investigation and 
uphold their doctrines. Several of the others talked and 
acted as if they had come into possession of some new 
and irrefutable arguments on pouring and sprinkling. 

After the usual preliminaries, Dr. Sherndon began the 
discussion by telling the Professor that he had found a 
passage in Ezekiel which said, " I will sprinkle clean 
water upon you," and asked him to explain it. 

"The language of the text (Ezek. 36:24,25) was 
spoken while the Jews were in Babylon. It told them 
what God would do for them. Three things are men- 
tioned : ( 1 ) ' I will take you from among the heathen 
and gather you out of all countries and bring you into 
your own land.' (2) ' Then will I sprinkle clean water 
upon you.' (3) ' From all filthiness and from all your 
idols will I cleanse you.' The text says they were 
unclean ; then we must go to the law of cleansing for 
light. By referring to Numbers 8 : 7, we learn that ' Thus 

(48) 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 49 

shalt thou cleanse them : Sprinkle the water of purifying 
[expiation. R. V.] upon them, and let a razor pass over 
all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes and cleanse 
themselves.' This water of purifying or cleansing was 
sprinkled upon all who were legally unclean. It was 
living water, in which the ashes of a red heifer were 
mixed. The manufacture of this cleaning water is de- 
scribed in Numbers 19. With this knowledge we can 
return to the prophecy. The Jews in captivity were 
legally unclean because of their contact with idolatry. 
The Lord promised to return them to their land and then 
purify them. This can have no reference to baptism, and 
those who practice sprinkling for baptism do not follow 
this law." 

" The Professor forgot one passage which. I am sure, 
must mean baptism, because it states that Christ was to 
do it." 

"Will you please read it?" 

" Yes, sir ! ' Like as many were astonied at thee ; 
his visage was so marred more than any man. and his 
form more than the sons of men : so shall he sprinkle 
many nations ; kings shall shut their mouths at him : for 
that which had not been told them shall they see ; and 
that which they had not heard shall they understand.' " 

" There are two ways of looking at this Scripture : 
1. If the word sprinkle belongs in the text, it refers to 
the blood sprinkled on Calvary for all nations. 2. The 
Revised Version gives startle in the margin. If you read 
the verses in this light, it will make good sense. We 
know that Christ baptized no one, so we conclude that 
this has no reference to baptism. I understand Mr. Suete 



50 the king's highway. 

has been examining different translations, and I will ask 
him to give us the results of his study." 
" I have found the following : 

" 'Like as many were astounded at thee ; so disfigured 

was his visage beneath man's and his form so unlike 

man's : so shall he make many nations start up.'* — Orelli. 

' 'So shall the nations he startles be many.' — George 

Adam Smith. 

" 'The word means to cause to spring or leap ; when 
applied to fluids it means to spirt, to sprinkle/ — A. B. 
Davidson. 

" The Septuagint renders it : ' Many nations shall 
wonder at him.' 

" Driver says : ' The rendering sprinkle ... is in- 
defensible upon grammatical grounds. . . . Most mod- 
erns obtain the rendering, cause to leap.' 

" Delitzsch says it is an upstarting in amazement that 
is meant." 

" Can you give us any history of the beginning of 
sprinkling as a church ordinance?" asked a member. 

"It is impossible to say when sprinkling was first 
introduced, although we know it was after the close of 
the first century. The first definite law for sprinkling was 
made by Pope Stephen II. about 753 A.D. The earliest 
instance of sprinkling I have been able to find occurred 
in A.D. 250. Of this event Eusebius says : ' Being deliv- 
ered by the exorcists, he fell into a severe sickness, and 
as he seemed about to die, he received baptism by affusion 
on the bed where he lay, if, indeed, we can say such a one 
did receive it.' — Nicene Fathers, Vol. I. 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 51 

"As late as 754 A.D. sprinkling was in disrepute. The 
monks of Cressy asked Pope Stephen II. : ' Is it lawful 
in case of necessity, occasioned by sickness, to baptize an 
infant by pouring water on its head from a cup or the 
hand ?' The Pope replied : ' Such a baptism performed 
in such a case of necessity shall be accounted valid.' 

"In 131 1 A.D. the Council of Ravenna declared that 
immersion or sprinkling were indifferent. 

" From that time on the practice became more general 
in the Western churches. The Eastern (Greek Catholic) 
Church never has recognized it as an ordinance." 

When John Suete had concluded. Rev. Dason arose 
and said : " I have listened patiently to your discussion 
this evening, and while I can not accept all that has been 
said, I have admired the way in which the questions have 
been answered. But lest some of you might think that 
immersion was the only mode of baptism, I want to pre- 
sent a few arguments I heard a Dunkard minister use the 
other evening. He reasoned that trine immersion was the 
only baptism, and presented the following proofs : 

" 1. 'All illustrations with the same construction as 
the baptismal formula show a repetition of action. If by 
any possible means any one could formulate a sentence of 
like construction that can be satisfied with one action, he 
would surrender the entire argument.' 

"2. ' Tertullian connects trine immersion with and 
draws it from the language of Christ in the commission. 
In his refutation of the doctrines of Praxeas, he says : 
"After the resurrection, promising he would send the 
promise of the Father, and lastly commanding that they 
should immerse into the Father, and the Son, and the 



52 THK KING'S HIGHWAY. 

Holy Spirit ; not into one name, for we are immersed for 
each name, into each person ; not once, but thrice." 

" 3. ' Eunomius invented single immersion.' 

" 4. ' Christ was baptized by trine immersion.' In 
proof of this he quoted the following, which is used by 
Longett, Wall, and others: 'Also, let the priests know 
that when they administer holy baptism, they are not to 
pour the holy water on the heads of the infants, but let 
them be immersed in the baptistery, as the Son of God in 
his own case furnished an example to every believer when 
he was three times immersed in the waters of Jordan.' 

" 5. 'The participal form baptising in Matthew 28 : 19 
denotes a continuance of action.' 

"6. 'Alexander Campbell, in his Campbell-Rice De- 
bate, edition of 1844, said: "Not only Mosheim and 
Neander, but all the historians, as well as Professor 
Stuart, trace trine immersion to the time of the apostles." : 

" I do not believe any one can refute these." 

And with this parting shot the reverend gentleman 
sank into his chair, a self-satisfied smile on his coun- 
tenance, which, however, Avas speedily banished by the 
remarks that followed. 

John Suete sprang to his feet, and, facing Rev. Dason, 
exclaimed : " I am surprised to hear you, an advocate of 
affusion, attempt to defend trine immersion. I do no* 
know what your members who are present think of it, 
but to me it sounds exceedingly strange. But to your 
arguments. The first will not bear investigation, as the 
following shows : 

" 'Then spake Jesus to the multitude and to his dis- 
ciples ' (Matt. 23: 1). One speech to two classes. 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY 53 

' 'To the acknowledgment of the mystery of God and 
of the Father and of Christ ' (Col. 2:2). One acknowl- 
edgment ; but it includes God and the Father and the 
Christ. 

" His fifth argument is simply preposterous. If that 
were true, who could decide when the continuance 
ceased " 

" I happen to know that his second argument is false," 
interrupted Dr. Sherndon. " Tertullian. on The Soldier's 
Crown, chapter 3, says: 'Then we are three times im- 
mersed, answering somewhat more than the Lord pre- 
scribed in the Gospels.' And his third argument is as 
weak as the others. Xo Lexicon gives such a definition 
either of baptizo, the Greek word, or tabal, the Hebrew 
word for baptize. The claim that Eunomius invented 
single immersion is first heard of in the fifth century. 
Theodoret. in his attack upon Eunomius. says he sub- 
verted the law of holy baptism, which had been handed 
down from the beginning from the Lord and the apostles, 
asserting that it was not necessary to immerse the can- 
didate for baptism thrice, but to immerse once only. 
Theodoret lived a century later than Eunomius. 

" Sozomen, who lived in the fifth century, says : 
' Some say that this Eunomius is the first who dared to 
bring forward the notion that divine baptism ought to be 
administered by a single immersion, and to corrupt the 
tradition which has been handed down from the apostles.' 

" Neither of these are competent witnesses, for they 
speak from hearsay only. 

"As to his fourth argument, it is also lacking in nec- 
essary force. The quotation was made too late in history 



54 THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 

to amount to anything. It is the mere assertion of an 
English Council held in Celichyth about 816 A.D." 

" I want to correct the statement made concerning 
A. Campbell," said Professor Harwood. " It is a typo- 
graphical error that was made in part of the first edition. 
When the mistake was noticed, Mr. Campbell had the 
presses stopped and the error corrected. In his Millennial 
Harbinger of i860 he makes a full explanation of this." 
Not daunted by these replies, Rev. Dason returned 
to the attack with : " It would be impossible to immerse 
all nations. Some are too far north, others are in the 
desert of Sahara, or the snow-clad Sierras, and others 
are sickly." 

" It didn't take very long for Mr. Dason to get from 
much water to very little," laughingly replied Professor 
Harwood. "And I think it probable that he will change 
again. He tells us that it would be impossible to immerse 
in all nations on account of altitude and latitude. This 
argument will hardly hold water — excuse the pun. Let 
us notice what he presents. First, some are too far north. 
Any one who has ever read of the Esquimaux knows that 
they are great fishermen. They are not a bit afraid of 
water. It is well for us to remember that water freezes 
at 32 , and therefore can not be colder than that in liquid 
form. Second, some live in the desert. Recent explora- 
tions show that the Sahara is not a total desert ; besides 
the many oases, a string of small lakes have been discov- 
ered. Third, some are sickly. I have never heard of a 
case where immersion in the name of the Lord injured 
any one. This subject was discussed the other evening, 
so I need sav nothing more about it." 



the king's highway. 55 

" Well !" persisted the minister, " there is one place 
in the Bible where people are said to be baptized by 
sprinkling." 

"Where is that? We have never seen it," came a 
chorus of voices in surprise. 

Turning to I Corinthians 10:1,2, Mr. Dason read: 

" 'For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, how 
that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed 
through the sea : and were all baptized unto Moses in the 
cloud and in the sea.' Again, in Hebrews 11:29: 'By 
faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, 
which the Egyptians essaying to do, were drowned.' 

" Now I would like you to find immersion on dry land. 
In addition to what I have read, let me call your attention 
to Psalm yy. 16-20, which must be a description of the 
baptism in the cloud and sea : ' The waters saw thee, 
O God, the waters saw thee: they were. afraid, the depths 
also were troubled. The clouds poured out water' — let 
me repeat that — ' the clouds poured out water, the skies 
sent out a sound : thine arrows also went abroad. The 
voice of thy thunder was in the heaven : the lightnings 
lightened the world, the earth trembled and shook. Thy 
way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and 
thy footsteps are not known. Thou leddest thy people 
like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.' ' 

" Rev. Dason has given us another of his great ideas. 
Did we ever hear of immersion on dry land ? Why, cer- 
tainly ! Men are immersed in business affairs, in debt, in 
sorrow, or social affairs. 

" We ought always to notice the element into which 
one is baptized. In this instance they were baptized in 



56 the king's highway. 

the cloud and the sea. But, says Mr. Dason, ' the clouds 
poured out water.' His quotation from Hebrews, ' they 
passed through the sea as by dry land,' will disprove 
this by showing that the seventy-seventh Psalm refers 
to something else. If you will read the seventy-seventh 
Psalm in conjunction with Habakkuk 3, you will find this 
made clear. Psalm 78: 14 refers to the passing of the 
Israelites, and tells us, as does Exodus 13:21,22, what 
cloud it was. Paul is simply telling us that they were 
between the two walls of the sea, and covered by the pillar 
of cloud. This is in accordance with Psalm 78, and car- 
ries out the idea of an immersion, or overwhelming, and 
Mr. Dason's sprinkling ' has gone glimmering.' ' : 

" Well, it doesn't make any difference, anyhow. If a 
man is baptized with the Holy Ghost, that is all that is 
necessary," replied the minister, followed by a chorus of 
hearty Amens. 

" Rev. Dason, you don't believe anything of the kind," 
said John Suete, in a disgusted tone of voice. " If you 
did, you would quit using the line of argument you have 
presented, and you would also quit sprinkling water on 
infants and adults and calling it baptism." Then turning 
to the audience, he continued : " I notice that quite a few 
of you seem to agree with the gentleman, and I want to 
ask you a question. Where are we commanded to be 
baptized with the Holy Spirit? Another thing I want 
you to answer, Is baptism in the Holy Spirit a command 
or a promise ? And I would like some one to tell me why 
you, who claim to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, do 
not speak with other tongues, as they did on the day of 
Pentecost and in Cornelius' house? 



THE KING S HIGHWAY. 57 

" I have been making a somewhat careful study of 
this question, and have learned that there are four kinds 
of baptisms mentioned in the New Testament : The bap- 
tism of the Holy Spirit, the baptism of fire, the baptism 
of suffering, and the baptism of water. I mention the 
baptism of suffering, though the Revised Version omits 
it. Let us notice the baptism of fire first. God nowhere 
commanded this to be performed. It was for a certain 
purpose (see Matt. 3: 11, 12). Jesus alone would admin- 
ister it ; and it undoubtedly refers to the punishment of 
the wicked in hell. Second, the baptism of suffering 
This baptism was that which Jesus himself was to pass 
through, that he might purchase the redemption of man- 
kind. It was never commanded of any man. Third, the 
baptism of the Holy Spirit. None were permitted to 
administer this but Jesus himself. John said Jesus would 
baptize in, or with, the Holy Spirit. On the day of ascen- 
sion (see Acts 1) Jesus told the eleven they would be 
baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence. 
'You shall be' in this instance is a promise, not a com- 
mand. Fourth, water baptism. This was preached and 
commanded to be observed by man. It was placed in the 
apostolic commission, and observed in its original form 
until the apostasy." 

"Does Paul not tell us that 'by one Spirit we are all 
baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles?" 
(1 Cor. 12: 13) asked Deacon Rames. 

" The Revised Version translates it, ' For in one Spirit 
were we all baptized,' " was the reply. " The Greek word 
is en. This word is found in the following verses, and it 
gives the meaning of, by the agency, or under the dircc- 



58 the: king's highway. 

Hon of, — i. e., we are all baptized under the direction of 
the Holy Spirit: i Cor. 14:6; Heb. 10:10; 1 Cor. 
12: 3, 9, 10. In 1 Cor. 14: 6 en is translated by. 'Unless 
I speak to you either by way of revelation.' 

" There are but few occurrences of baptism in the 
Holy Spirit, the first on the day of Pentecost, and another 
in the house of Cornelius. In both instances miraculous 
power was manifested, and the baptism was given for a 
special purpose, viz. : to sanctify the Jewish and Gentile 
nations unto obedience to the gospel. It was a special 
■sign to both classes. Read Acts 1:3-8; 2:23; 11:15; 
15:8,9. In both instances the signs were the same, 
Peter says that 'the Holy Spirit fell on them [Cornelius' 
household] as it did on us at the beginning [the day of 
Pentecost]. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, 
how that he said, John indeed baptized with water ; but 
ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Forasmuch, 
then, as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us 
who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I that 
I could withstand God?' — Acts 11 : 15-17-" 

" But does the Bible not say that the Spirit was poured 
out upon the apostles?" asked Dr. Sherndon. 

" The revised rendering [Acts 1 : 17] is, ' I will pour 
forth of my Spirit,' so also in the eighteenth verse. This 
pouring is not called baptism. Let us notice the lesson. 
'' The people were amazed at what was seen and heard, 
and some said, These are filled with new wine. But Peter 
said they were* not, but this is that which hath been 
spoken of by Joel ' (Acts 2: 12-16) What did he mean 
by this? It was what the people said was the effect of 
.drinking. The description is: 1. 'A sound as of a mighty 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 59 

rushing wind.' 2. ; It filled all the house where they were' 
(a complete submersion, you see). 3. 'Tongues, like as 
of fire, sat on each of them.' 4. ' They were all filled with 
the Spirit.' 5. ' They began to speak in other languages ' 
(Acts 2:4,8). This overwhelming in the Spirit is the 
baptism. The promise or power was poured forth, the 
Spirit was not." 

At the conclusion of the Professor's remarks a motion 
was made and carried to adjourn till the following Thurs- 
day, and another evening's investigation came to an end. 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Necessity oe Baptism. 

On the next Thursday, after the usual preliminaries, 
John Suete asked the Professor if he had anything new 
on the subject. Before he could reply, Mr. Upton sur- 
prised him by saying that they had spent enough time on 
the subject, and that baptism is a non-essential, and no 
one need bother about it. 

" I am surprised to hear this," said the Professor. 
" If baptism is a non-essential, why do the churches prac- 
tice it? Let me ask the ministers present if they believe 
it to be a non-essential?" 

" Why, certainly ! Almost every one believes it is only 
an outward ordinance," was the reply. 

" Do you think any one will be saved without obeying 
the commandments of Jesus Christ?" 

" No, sir, I don't think they will." 

" Now, one more question. Is baptism a command 
of Jesus?" 

" Humph !" was the disgruntled answer. " I don't 
take any stock in this idea of baptismal regeneration," 
exclaimed the Baptist minister. " That may do for 
Romanists, but not for Protestants." 

" Those are my sentiments, too," responded another 
minister. 

(60) 



the king's highway. 6i 

" That is not answering my question," urged the Pro- 
fessor. ' Is baptism a command of Christ? Yes or No!" 
" I believe that many good and honest souls have gone 
to heaven without being dipped," began Rev. Morner, 
when he was stopped by John Suete. 

" Reverend, why do you not answer the Professor's 
questions? Are you afraid, if you tell the truth, that it 
will overthrow your theology?" 

" My theology can take care of itself," angrily replied 
the minister. " It has withstood the assaults of infidels 
for more than a hundred years, and can withstand them 
for a hundred years more." 

" I wonder if any of these good people who said 
'Amen !' so lustily would answer that question ?" asked 
the Professor, turning to the members. Receiving no 
reply, he continued : " Since you all seem afraid to 
answer, will some one tell me what baptism is for?" 

"An outward sign of an inward faith — the door into 
the church," responded several, while the Baptist minister 
said : " It is a duty of every Christian. Some teach that 
it is for the remission of sins, but I believe that none but 
the regenerated, pardoned soul should be baptized." 

" These several views do not harmonize with one 
another, and I think I will be able to show you that they 
do not harmonize with the Scriptures," said Professor 
Harwood. "Listen to God's Word, (i) 'John came, who 
baptized in the wilderness and preached the baptism of 
repentance unto remission of sins.' (2) ' Preaching the 
baptism of repentance unto remission of sins.' (3) ' Bap- 
tizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Spirit.' (4) ' Repent ye and be baptized 



62 THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 

every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the 
remission of sins.' (5) 'Arise, and be baptized and wash 
away thy sins/ " 

" Most of us who are here to-night believe that bap- 
tism is a non-essential," said Deacon Rames, " and that 
it is only to be administered to the regenerated. Pro- 
fessor Harwood's ideas seem to be in opposition to this. 
I, for one, would like him to give us the proofs of his 
position, for it is certainly a novel one." 

This request was seconded by several, so the Pro- 
fessor said : 

" I might mention quite a number of Biblical reasons 
why the unregenerated person is the recipient of baptism, 
but a few must suffice : 

" ii On the day of Pentecost the apostle, in answer 
to the query, ' What shall we do ?' was, ' Repent ye and 
be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ 
unto the remission of your sins ; and ye shall receive the 
gift of the Holy Ghost.' — Acts 2 : 37, 38. You will find 
the same expression ' unto remission ' in Matt. 26 : 28 and 
Luke 3 : 3." 

" 1 do not consider baptism essential in that passage," 
exclaimed the Baptist minister. " The word translated 
for or into is eis; this is frequently used as because of." 

"Amen!" responded Rev. Morner. 

"Am I to understand you to say that repentance and 
baptism are done because our sins have been remitted at 
some previous time?" asked the Professor. 

" Repentance is always for the remission of our sins." 
replied Rev. Morner. 

" Then you make repentance and baptism of different 



THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 63 

rank or force. In this you are wrong, as a few examples 
from English Grammar will show. ' Unto the remission 
of your sins ' is naturally connected with both the pre- 
ceding verbs ('repent' and 'be baptized'). It states the 
motive which should induce them to repent and be bap- 
tized. But let me present the rules and examples. Rev. 
Morner, what kind of a conjunction is 'and'?" 

"A co-ordinate conjunction." 

"Very good! Harvey's Grammar teaches that co-or- 
dinate conjunctions are those which join elements of the 
same rank or name. 

" Longwell's Grammar says a co-ordinate conjunc- 
tion is one that connects words, phrases or sentences of 
equal rank. 

" I give a few illustrations to prove the force of this : 
' He fasted forty days and forty nights.' ' Loose him and 
bring him unto me.' ' He that believeth and is baptized 
shall be saved.' ' Repent ye and be baptized unto the 
remission of sins.' 'Arise and be baptized and wash away 
thy sins.' 

" John Wesley, commenting on this, says : ' Baptism 
administered to real penitents is both a means and seal 
of pardon. Nor did God ordinarily in the primitive 
church bestow this on any unless through this means.' 
So you see I am not alone in regard to the teaching on 
this subject. Should I quote Titus 3 : 5 and 1 Peter 1 : 21, 
I would still find myself in company with the scholarship 
of the world. 

"And now let me read from the Sunday-school Quar- 
terlies and religious papers of 1897, when the Interna- 
tional Sunday-school lessons were in the Book of Acts: 



64 the king's highway. 

" I. 'Repent. — The word includes the idea of sorrow 
for sins and the determination to forgive them. Bap- 
tized . . . in the name of Jesus. — That is, in depend- 
ence on Jesus Christ for forgiveness and in confession of 
him publicly as the Savior. Unto the remission of your 
sins. — Do it, be baptized, with this in view, that your sins 
may be forgiven ; and they shall be.' — The Independent. 

" 2. 'For the remission of sins. — If they would repent 
of their sins, and show by their obedience that they had 
faith in the great doctrines of the blood and of regen- 
eration which baptism symbolized, God would pardon 
their sins.' — Western Recorder (Baptist). 

" 3. 'The apostles made Christian baptism inseparable 
from repentance in conversion. To ignore this sacrament 
is to impeach one's sincerity in repentance.' — New York 
O b server ( Presbyterian ) . 

"4. 'Repentance and baptism are set forth as the 
means toward this end, namely, that their sins should be 
remitted.' — Sunday-School Times/' 

• " But doesn't eis sometimes mean because of?" asked 
Dr. Sherndon. 

" I know of no instance where it is so used," replied 
the Professor. " The primary meaning of the word is 
into or unto, and contains the idea of direction and tran- 
sition. The revised translators have used it thus in the 
following, as well as in other parts of the Book: 

"'I indeed baptize you with water unto [eis] repent- 
ance' (Matt. 3: n). — 'Preached the baptism of repent- 
ance unto [eis] remission of sins' (Mark 1:4). — 'Bap- 
tizing them into [eis] the name' (Matt. 28:19V — 



the king's highway. 65 

' Baptism of repentance unto [eis] remission of sins ' 
(Luke 3:3). 

" The S chaff -Hertzog Cyclopaedia of Religious Knowl- 
edge (page 200) presents the same view: 'Baptism is 
rather the initiatory rite into the Christian church, the body 
of Christ — Acts 2 : 41 ; 5 : 14. . . . Baptism is a highly 
symbolical act. The washing of the body symbolizes the 
cleansing from sin spoken of as forgiveness — Acts 2 : 38 ; 
cf. 22: 16, and 1 Cor. 6: 11 ; as a cleansing by the word — 
Eph. 5 : 26 ; as a restoration of a good conscience — Heb. 
10 : 22, 23. The power, however, to effect these changes 
lies not in the water, but in God. It also symbolizes the 
burial with Christ — Rom. 6:3,4; Col. 2:12, by which 
the recipient is bound to die unto sin.' " 

" Paul didn't think baptism necessary," persisted a 
voice. " He said Christ did not send him to baptize, but 
to preach the gospel. (1 Cor. 1 : 17.) As he was sent 
to preach the gospel to the Gentiles under a special com- 
mission, this ought to show his position. He was sent 
to open their eyes, that they might turn from darkness to 
light and from the power of Satan to God, that they 
might receive remission of sins and an inheritance among 
them that are sanctified by faith. (Acts 26: 18.) There 
is faith, but no baptism, in that commission." 

" But Paul did baptize," was the reply. "And if you 
will read Romans 6:4, 5, Col. 2: 12, or Gal. 3:27, you 
will learn that he taught baptism. In the chapter which 
you mentioned he says he baptized Crispus and Gains, 
and the household of Stephanus. (1 Cor. 1 : 14, 16.) At 
Ephesus he found twelve disciples of John whom he bap- 



66 the king's highway. 

tized. (Acts 19: 1-5.) Do you suppose this was contrary 
to his orders? Why, then, did he say he was thankful 
that he had not baptized many in Corinth? Let Paul 
answer : ' Lest any man should say that ye were baptized 
into my name.' When we remember that the Corinthian 
Church was divided into several sects, we can see the 
necessity of this. Or it may be that he was simply refer- 
ring to his personal work. Silas, John, Timothy, Mark 
or Barnabas might have done the baptizing, while Paul, 
on account of his * thorn in the flesh,' confined himself 
mostly to preaching." 

" I understood you to say, a while ago," said Mr. 
Title, " that John 3 : 5, Titus 3 : 5, and 1 Peter 3 : 21 
referred to baptism, and proved it necessary to salvation. 
Will you kindly give us your evidence for this position ?" 
" The consensus of all scholarship is that baptism is 
the act referred to in the phrase, ' born of water.' It is 
a figure of regeneration. Alexander Carson, the noted 
Baptist scholar, says it refers to immersion. Barnes, 
McKnight, Meyer and other noted commentators agree 
that the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5) is baptism. 
Possibly this little chart will aid us in this. 

CHART. 

Born of water and Spirit. John 3 : 5. 
Baptism, and gift of Holy Spirit. Acts 2 : 38. 
Washing of regeneration — renewing of Spirit. 

Titus 3 : 5. 

" 1 Peter 3 : 21 is self-explanatory. Eight souls were 
saved through water, which also, after a true likeness, 
now saves us. How were they saved? By water, in 



THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 67 

their faith in God and obedience to him. Baptism has an 
end, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but 
obtaining a good conscience toward God. With this view 
Wesley, Watson and many others agree. Baptism is nec- 
essary to-day, because Jesus said : ' He that believeth and 
is baptized shall be saved.' To this let me add the fol- 
lowing reasons in regard to the necessity of baptism. 
It has a sevenfold aim or intent: (1) Obedience to the 
Savior (Matt. 28: 19,20; Mark 16: 15. 16). (2) Imita- 
tion of the Lord (Matt. 3: 17; Mark 1:9). (3) To be 
born again (John 3:5; Titus 3:5). (4) To put on 
Christ (Gal. 3:27). (5) To be put into the death of 
Christ (Rom. 6:3-5). (6) Unto remission of sins (Acts 
2: 38, 22: 16). (7) For an answer of a good conscience 
(1 Peter 3:21)." 

" If these things are true, every Baptist, and every 
one baptized without fully understanding all about the 
design, must be re-baptized," said the Baptist minister. 

"Not so!" was the reply. "Jesus said: * He that 
believeth and is baptized [immersed] shall be saved.' If 
any one in full faith in Jesus as Lord is immersed, God 
will certainly fulfill his promise. Because preachers deny 
that God will do certain things does not prove it to be so. 
You will find that those on Pentecost, even the apostles, 
did not understand the breadth of the message they pre- 
sented. The people, however, obeyed from their hearts 
the form of doctrine delivered to them, and were made 
free from sin. You make a mistake: (1) By ignoring the 
fact that many who are immersed by the denominations 
understand the importance of baptism far better than 
their sectarian teachers. (2) By forgetting that multi- 



68 the king's highway. 

tudes were baptized among the Jews who neither under- 
stood that Christ died for the Gentiles, nor that he was 
the end of the law for righteousness to every one that 
believed. (3) You must, to be consistent, denounce the 
faith and repentance of those who come from the sects as 
being sect-faith and sect-repentance, and therefore of no 
force, because they are taught by the denominations and 
submitted to by their converts. If we are right, then all 
that come from the sects must discard everything they 
have learned there, and everything that is practiced there, 
and regard themselves as unbelieving, impenitent sin- 
ners — a position, I believe, that no one will be foolish 
enough to acknowledge. One may come to Christ as 
he commanded, and may then embrace many errors, or 
become a Baptist, Methodist, or anything he chooses, 
without invalidating his previous faith and obedience." 

" Friends, I have learned enough in these meetings 
to know that I have not fully obeyed my Savior. I am 
going to ask my pastor to-morrow to perform the ordi- 
nance of baptism at his earliest convenience," exclaimed 
Dr. Sherndon. 

" So am I," replied Mr. Upton. " But I want to do 
everything understanding^, and there are many things I 
do not understand yet. Let us continue this investigation 
until we are all agreed, or at least until the majority 
understand their duty." 

" I suppose most of us are agreed thus far," responded 
Mr. Title, " and that any of the preachers would gladly 
give us a church home ; but I am afraid that will not help 
us any. How can we decide which church is right and 
which is wrong? Christ's church in the first century was 



THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 69 

one body, and should be so to-day. These numerous 
denominations can not all be right. We can afford to 
make haste slowly and know that whatever we do is 
correct. I propose, therefore, that we allow the different 
churches to send representatives to our next meeting and 
state their positions/' 

This proposition was discussed with much vigor. 
Some thought it made no difference which church they 
joined ; others claimed there was an invisible union, and 
that the churches were branches of one vine. Others 
again demanded that the true church should be sought 
for. Finally John Suete made the following statement: 

" We are generally agreed that faith, repentance and 
immersion are prerequisite to membership in Christ's 
body. Some of us understand that we are not under law, 
but under grace. Some of us are united on the subjects 
we have investigated, and some are not. Deacon Rames 
believes that an experience must be given before one can 
be baptized. Professor Harwood thinks nothing of the 
kind is needed. Others among us have other theories 
about this. Again, we are not satisfied about the churches ; 
and many other things I might mention. Let me, there- 
fore, second the proposition to have the churches present 
their claims before us." 

After one or two more had addressed the club, a 
committee, consisting of Dr. Sherndon, John Suete and 
Deacon Rames, was appointed to lay the matter before the 
churches and report at the next meeting. All present 
then agreed to do nothing more until all the churches had 
an opportunity to present their pleas. 



CHAPTER X. 

A Discussion on Unity. 

The next week was a busy one in church circles. The 
committee visited and re-visited the ministers and church 
officers, explaining the purpose of the club and endeavor- 
ing to have every church represented at the meetings. 
Much misunderstanding, generated by evil reports, had 
to be overcome. Some were bitterly prejudiced against 
the club, and had to be conciliated by the committee 
before they would promise anything, while others were 
fearful of some kind of a snare. When it was learned 
that the club would discuss the question of Christian 
unity, and had invited the ministers to come and pre- 
sent their views, excitement knew no bounds. Madam 
Rumor put on her best bib and tucker and visited all her 
neighbors with her varied stock of knowledge and con- 
jecture. Mrs. A. knew that the club meant mischief. 
Mrs. B. understood that the members were going to 
join one of the churches in a body. Mrs. C. heard that 
Mrs. D. said that they intended to organize one of their 
own and reject all the teachings of the orthodox churches. 
Some thought the ministers should ignore the club's invi- 
tation and not attend at all. Others thought they should 
attend in a body and warn the members of their folly and 
the danger they incurred of being eternally lost. Still 
others suggested a day of fasting and prayer by all the 

(70) 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. JI 

churches for the conversion of the club members. And 
so it continued until Thursday. 

When the meeting was called to order, the committee 
had completed their work and were ready to report. As 
their somewhat lengthy report was presented, the mem- 
bers learned of the difficulties they had encountered, and 
the seeming indifference and opposition of the churches 
toward the work. When they were told that none of the 
ministers could be present that evening, some one pro- 
posed an adjournment until the next week. This was 
opposed by the majority, who thought that some phase 
of the subject might be profitably discussed at that time. 
Some things had been mentioned in the committee's report 
that had attracted considerable attention and caused rather 
caustic remarks. Several suggested that the club mem- 
bers present their views on unity. Not that they consid- 
ered themselves superior in wisdom to the ministers, but 
that they might know how near they all were to the Bible 
teaching on the subject. It would also bring out the 
club's attitude toward those who, though belonging to 
different churches, might still be God's children. The 
investigation might also aid to unravel one of the most 
perplexing of problems and overthrow some of the incon- 
sistencies of church divisions. 

Dr. Sherndon was the first to take the floor to plead 

for a better unity rather than a closer co-operation of the 

churches. He had concluded that a union of individuals 

was superior to a union of denominations, claiming the 

latter was an impossibility because of conflicting theories 

and practices. He closed his remarks by saying: "We 

who favor the obliteration of denominational lines should 



"J2 THE) KING'S HIGHWAY. 

continually assert our position. We should not try to 
bring unity about by clandestine methods. The attempt 
to introduce unity through the agency of the so-called 
union meetings of the churches, which are considered 
especially for the young, will end in failure. If the lines 
which divide denominations are to be obliterated, the 
arguments must be stated in a manly Christian manner, 
and the whole question thoroughly investigated by mature 
minds. When this time arrives, we must not expect to 
accomplish final results by doing it by piecemeal, but by 
doing the whole at once. Every argument that can be 
brought to prove that union evangelistic or Sunday-school 
work is good can be just as strongly used for continual 
union of all Christians." 

When the Doctor had concluded his remarks, Mr. 
Title arose and said: " I do not agree with the views just 
presented. I believe that denominations are necessary in 
order that all may find a suitable place of worship. We 
can not all see alike, and if these different churches did 
not exist, many would not know what to do, or where to 
go. Again, if the churches were all united and under one 
head, they would persecute their opponents, as they did 
during the Medieval Ages, when the inquisitorial horrors 
were a daily occurrence." 

" I am afraid that Mr. Title is using stock arguments 
viewed from a church member's standpoint," replied John 
Suete. " While it is true, in a sense, that we do not all 
see alike, it is because we will not, rather than because we 
can not. The main reason why I am not a Christian is 
because of the many churches. They disagree with each 
other in theory and practice, and I have been unable to 



THE KING S HIGHWAY. 73 

find one that approached the New Testament ideal. If 
there were but one church, and that one based on the 
apostles' teaching, I would enter it to-morrow. As it is, 
I am debarred because I know not where to go. Another 
point in your argument that is weak is this : you want to 
suit man, when man ought to suit God. If God is the 
author of Christianity, everything should bow to His will. 

" Were I to answer his second argument, I would do 
it by asking. Who would a united church persecute ? Sin- 
ners? Surely not, for it is the province of the church to 
convert them. Would it persecute its members in other 
towns? It could not, for they would be of the same 
mind, preferring one another in love. The church of the 
Medieval Age was an apostasy — a false church — one 
that had no unity, unless we call the quietness of the 
graveyard unity. It was a church founded on persecu- 
tion, folly and crime, and continues thus in our own day." 

" The idea was presented a while ago that union 
exists, but is invisible," exclaimed the Professor. If we 
will read John 17:21, we will learn the impossibility of 
this. ' Neither for these only do I pray, but for them 
also that believe on me through their zvord; that they 
may all be one : even as thou, Father, art in me, and I 
in thee, that they also may be in us : that the world may 
believe that thou didst send me/ How would the world 
know that the churches were one unless they beheld the 
unity ?" 

" I am glad that these views are being presented," 
spoke an interested listener. " In my judgment, it is 
time for Christian people to look the matter of denomi- 
nationalism square in the face as being morally wrong 



74 the king's highway. 

before God. How can the gospel accomplish its great 
triumph and gather the redeemed from every land until 
the law of Christ be fulfilled by the sects becoming one? 
I hope that we will be able to find a common basis of 
action and belief." 

" What name would we wear if the churches became 
one, as has been suggested?" asked a member. 

" We can all unite under the name Christian," was 
the reply. "As followers of the Lamb of God, we can 
all glory in the name of Christ. We can all unite in 
the churches of Christ (Rom. 16: 16) without violating 
Scripture or feelings. ' The name of the Lord is a 
strong tower ; the righteous runneth into it and is safe ' 
(Prov. 18: 10)." 

At this juncture Rev. Morner and the Baptist min- 
ister entered the hall, and it was immediately decided that 
the discussion be postponed and the club attend to the 
ministers' remarks. Upon being invited to speak, . Rev. 
Morner advanced to the front and began : 

" My dear friends ! I am very glad to be able to be 
with you to-night. I have been very busy with my reg- 
ular work, and was afraid I could not meet with you ; but 
circumstances changed my plans so that I was able to 
come. I felt gratified when your committee visited me 
and so cordially invited me to address this gathering. I 
am pleased to see so many present and interested, and I 
earnestly hope I may be able to present to you to-night a 
plan of union that will be heartily accepted. In this age 
of sectarian bigotry we see the need of that broad catholic 
feeling that should pervade the church universal. I think 
you will find that the branch of Christ's kingdom that I 



the: king's highway. 75 

represent is as liberal as any. On the question of union 
we believe we are right. Why shouldn't we all come 
together as humble disciples at the feet of the blessed 
Master? We all have the same Bible. We all believe 
in the same Savior, and we are all pressing toward the 
same goal. 

" I believe you will find Methodism suited to your 
needs. The great want of the world is Holy Ghost relig- 
ion ; you all need more fervency and devotion. All this 
you will find in the Methodist Church. But leaving this, 
let me turn to another part of our inquiry. Methodism 
has a work to do in the world that can not be done by 
any other church. In the address to the members by the 
Bishops at the commencement of the Book of Discipline 
you will find the following : ' We believe that God's 
design in raising up the preachers called Methodists in 
America was to reform the continent and spread Scrip- 
tural holiness over these lands. As a proof hereof we 
have seen since that time an extraordinary work of God 
extending throughout the United States.' Again they 
say : ' We esteem it our privilege and duty most earnestly 
to recommend to you this volume, which contains the 
Doctrine: and Discipline: of our Church, both of which, 
we believe, are agreeable to the Word of God. the only 
and the sufficient rule of faith and practice. Yet the 
Church, using the liberty given to it by its Lord, and 
taught by the experience of a long series of years and by 
observations made on ancient and modern churches, has 
from time to time modified its Discipline so as better to 
secure the end for which it was founded.' 

"As Methodism progressed and the want of a rule 



y6 the king's highway. 

was felt to aid its work, one was adopted. If its prac- 
tical working was found to be good, it was retained ; if it 
failed, it was modified or rejected. Thus each regulation 
has been brought to the test of experience and utility 
The Discipline is in strict accordance with God's Word, 
every article being taken from the Bible. I do not think 
I need to spend much time this evening on its contents, as 
most of you have undoubtedly read it, and I know that 
all of you can see that it is broad enough for the whole 
Church. We allow every member to choose his mode 
of baptism, so that all can be at peace with their God, 
You will find that we are not bigoted, but broad, lenient 
and liberal. Let me ask you to lay aside your minor 
differences and stand with us on this basis. Here is 
room for all." 

When the gentleman had finished, Deacon Rames 
asked permission to reply. The chairman told him that 
any one could reply, or ask the ministers any questions 
they desired. The Deacon then said : " I, for one, am 
opposed to the theory that his Discipline is a basis for all 
to unite on. It was very kind of him to open the doors 
of his Church and usher us all in, but we are not all ready 
to enter. There are many things connected with Meth- 
odism that we Baptists do not consider Scriptural. He 
told us how broad and liberal his Church is, but does not 
tell us that it is not Christ's Church. His Discipline is 
much too narrow for us all to stand on" — 

" Our Discipline is founded on the Bible, and is broad 
enough for all ; and let me add, we are as much a branch 
of Christ's Church as any," excitingly replied the minister. 

"No sir!" was the response. " According to your 



THE KING'S HIGHWAY. JJ 

former statement, it is founded on the experience of a 
long series of years, and on the experiments of bishops 
who tried to supply its wants by rules and regulations of 
their own make. Several of the articles contradict the 
Word of God, and also contradict your preaching and 
practice." 

" Will you kindly tell us which articles contradict the 
Bible?" asked Rev. Morner, with a sneer. 

" Certainly ! I'll read them." And taking a little book 
from his pockets, he began: "'Article II. — Whereof is 
one Christ, very God and very Man, who truly suffered, 
was crucified, dead and buried, to reconcile his Father 
to us/ 

" I place this statement beside 2 Cor. 5 : 18, 19, that 
you may note the contradiction : ' But all things are of 
God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and 
gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation ; to-wit, that 
God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, 
not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having 
committed unto us the word of reconciliation.' 

' 'Article IX. We are accounted righteous before 
God only for the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus 
Christ by faith, and not for our own works or deserv- 
ings, wherefore that we are justified by faith only is a 
most wholesome doctrine and very full of comfort.' 

M This is Lutheran or Episcopal doctrine, but not the 
doctrine of Christ. The apostles taught that we are jus- 
tified by grace (Rom. 3 : 24) ; blood of Christ (Rom. 
5:9); faith (Rom. 5:1); works (James 2:24), etc. 
James also states that we are justified by works, and not 



yS the king's highway. 

by faith only (James 2:24). Agian he says: 'Even as 
faith apart from works is dead' (James 2:26). 

" 'Article XVII. Baptism is not only a sign of pro- 
fession and mark of difference whereby Christians are 
distinguished from others that are not baptized ; but it 
is also a sign of regeneration, or the new birth.' 

" Yet in the face of this statement Mr. Morner teaches 
that baptism is a non-essential, and tries in many ways 
to belittle the importance of the ordinance. 

" 'Article V. The Holy Scriptures contain all things 
necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read 
therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required.' 

" This article condemns the whole Discipline, so I 
need say nothing more about it." 

" I have several objections to Mr. Morner's position," 
said John Suete, when the Deacon had concluded his 
remarks. " He forgot to tell us, when he gave the invi- 
tation to unite with the Methodist Church, which one he 
meant. I suppose he meant the Methodist Episcopal, but 
do not understand why the Methodist Episcopal South, 
or the Protestant Methodist, or Wesleyans. or Primitive, 
or any other Methodist denomination, would not be just 
as good. He should have explained why a political theory 
of a past generation prevents three of these, the M. E., 
the M. E. South, and the M. P., from uniting. Briefly 
speaking, the following are the main reasons why I believe 
the club can not accept Mr. Morner's invitation : 

" 1. The name betrays its origin. It is an offshoot 
from the Episcopal Church — the Church of England, of 
which Mr. Wesley lived and died a member. The Dis- 



THE KING S HIGHWAY. 79 

cipline (page 13) says that John and Charles Wesley, 
Presbyters of the Church of England, were the founders. 
" 2. The name Methodist is of heathen origin. It 
was given to Wesley and his friends by an Oxford pro- 
fessor on account of their habits. A Methodist was one 
of a sect of ancient physicians, or philosophers. ' Themi- 
son and his old set of Methodists resolved that the laxum 
and strictum . . . were the principles and originals of 
all disease in the world.' — Hammond, Works, Vol. 4. 

"3. It began as a separate society in a rupture in the 
Moravian Church in the eighteenth century. Late in 1739 
a rupture with the Moravians occurred. Wesley had 
helped them organize in May, 1738, the Fetter Lane 
Society ; and the converts of the preaching of himself, his 
brother and Whitefield, had become members of their 
bands. But finding that they were falling into ' Quiet- 
ism,' a separation took place : and so, at the close of 1739, 
as Wesley wrote, without any previous plan, began the 
Methodist society in England. 

" 4. It is divided into seventeen sects — some marked 
by race, some by politics, and some by church theories. 
In the apostolic days the churches were of one mind, and 
spake the same things. There was no distinction of race, 
etc., but all were one in Christ Jesus. 

" 5. It practices sprinkling, pouring and immersion, 
and claims they are three modes of baptism, when any 
child should know that immersion is not a mode of 
sprinkling, or sprinkling a mode of pouring. Methodists 
practice three different ordinances for baptism ; the New 
Testament recognizes but one. 

" 6. It uses the mourners' bench, an invention of an 



80 the; king's highway. 

American minister. We have the following account of 
it in The Life and Labors of James Quinn, by John 
Wright : ' The first I ever saw or heard of it was in 
1795 or 1796, at a watch-night held at the house of that 
mother in our Israel, the widow Henthorn, near Union- 
town, Pa. The person who conducted the meeting was 
Rev. Valentine Cook. . . . The sermon closed with an 
almost overwhelming exhortation, which appeared as if 
it must carry all before it. Then came the invitation to 
the mourners to come to the vacated seats to be prayed 
with and for. I think this was perfectly new, for the 
people seemed panic-stricken.' 

" 7. Its founder is not Christ, but John Wesley. The 
Discipline, pages 13 and 14, states the following: 'This 
was the rise of Methodism, as given in the words of its 
founders, John and Charles Wesley. ... As his chil- 
dren in the gospel, they appealed to Mr. Wesley for help 
and advice.' 

" 8. Some of its definitions are false, as witness the 
following : ' God, everlasting, without body or parts.' 
This would make a fair definition of nothing. x\gain: 
' There are three persons of one substance, power and 
eternity in the unity of the Godhead.' Neither nature 
nor the Bible reveals this. 

" 9. It is unscriptural, in that it makes the Bible bend 
to its Discipline. 

" In paragraph 445 (Form of Receiving Members into 
the Church after Probation) the minister says : ' Do you 
believe in the Doctrines of the Holy Scriptures as set forth 
in the Articles of Religion of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church?' The candidate answers: 'I do.' Again he 



the king's highway. 8i 

asks : ' Will you be cheerfully governed by the Rules of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church?' 

" 10. Its teaching concerning the Lord's Supper and 
the baptism of infants is contrary to the Word of God. 
The early Christians met every first day of the week to 
partake of the Supper, and they baptized none but peni- 
tent believers. Your Discipline, Article XVII. , says : 
' The baptism of young children is to be retained in 
the church.' 

" In addition to these I might mention many others 
that are equally strong in proving your church unscrip- 
tural. There are your human tests of fellowship, your 
teaching about conversion, your theory of the office and 
mission of the Holy Spirit, your theory of forgiveness 
and evidence of pardon. But these will suffice. I believe 
I can safely say in conclusion, You have been weighed in 
the balances and found wanting." 

When John had concluded his objections, the Baptist 
minister asked the chairman if there was time enough 
for him to present his plea. " If not," he said, " I would 
prefer to wait until your next meeting. I think it would 
be better to have it all presented at one time, than to have 
a part of it to-night and the balance at your next meeting." 

As it was growing late, the members decided to wait 
until the next Thursday to hear the plea of the Baptist 
minister. All agreed that the meeting had been helpful. 
Some thought that John had been too harsh in his objec- 
tions, while others said it was only fair that error should 
be exposed wherever found. Many who were present 
determined to re-read their Bibles again, and carefully 
note where their church doctrines disagreed with it. 



CHAPTER XI 

Some: Modern Theories 

The arguments on the propriety of the clergymen 
visiting the club increased in number and intensity every 
day. Some applauded the club for its firm stand, or for 
" setting down on the preacher." Others blamed the min- 
ister for going where he had no business. " I jist knowed 
he'd get into trouble when he went thar," said old Brother 
Chanes. " He'd ort to knowed better'n to go amongst a 
parcel o' heathens. Why, they hain't one o' them that 
was ever convarted, an' how'd they know anything about 
the gospel?" Rev. Morner himself felt a little sore at 
his reception. He had gone to the meeting confident of 
winning a victory for his church, and it was with bitter 
feelings that he now faced the comments of the town. 

Nothing daunted, however, by the reception of his 
fellow clergyman, the Baptist minister determined to 
attend the next meeting and present his plea. One of 
his members had pleaded with him not to go, explaining 
the many rumors concerning the treatment the Methodist 
minister had received. To him he had replied : " I had 
been informed that they were a set of infidels and opposed 
to all forms of religion, but I found them to be a God- 
fearing set of men and women, who are studying their 
Bibles to learn the truth. They did not mistreat Brother 
Morner in the least. He presented his doctrine to them, 

(82) 



THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 83 

and they naturally found many objections to it. I intend 
to present our plea, and expect to have an enjoyable 
evening with them." 

The gathering on Thursday evening was augmented 
by many visitors., who were anxious to see the next 
polemic battle. As soon as the usual gatherings and pre- 
liminaries were over, the Baptist minister began : " I am 
pleased to come before you. and I wish to express my 
gratification in finding you gathering yourselves together 
to study God's Word. I think you have done the right 
thing in this, though possibly you may have been over- 
zealous in some of your work. I also think myself happy 
to be in a position to-night to present to you the claims 
of the Baptist churches. I most heartily agree with you 
that the Methodist Church has too much of man's inven- 
tions in it. The Bible is God's book, and no earthly creed 
can take its place. I come to you with an invitation to 
join yourselves to the Baptist Church: (i) Because it has 
an unbroken line of succession from John the Baptist until 
to-day. We have church records of some of our English 
churches that are more than three hundred vears old. 
Jesus was baptized by John, and was a Baptist ; the 
apostles were Baptists : and there have been Baptists 
and Baptist churches in every age since the church was 
founded, i 2) One of the evidences of apostolicity is per- 
secution. The Baptist churches have been persecuted in 
every century. They have withstood these persecutions, 
and though many of the members suffered martyrdom, 
they never lost their faith and zeal. (3) We have the 
doctrine and other characteristics of the apostolic church, 
as the following will show: (a) Our churches are inde- 



84 THE king's highway. 

pendent; each congregation is complete in itself, (b) We 
immerse all converts. The scholarship of the world 
agrees that immersion is right, (c) We are a missionary 
people ; our mission boards are doing a great work. 

" Some people have claimed that we are uncharitable, 
but this can not be proved. We recognize others as 
Christians, but claim they are not in the church. All the 
scholars agree that we are right on the mode of baptism. 
We believe that no one but immersed persons should come 
to the table of the Lord, therefore we invite onlv those of 
like faith and order. This doctrine is as old as Chris- 
tianity. The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, a man- 
uscript supposed to be from the second century, teaches 
it. In Chapter IX. it commands : ' Let no one eat or 
drink of the Eucharist except those baptized into the 
name of the Lord.' We stand by the Book, and plead 
with all to come with us, that we may do them good. 
You have all been to the Baptist church and heard me 
preach, so I suppose it is unnecessary to tell you any- 
thing more about our claims. Besides, our good Deacon 
Rames has met with you continually, and undoubtedly has 
explained much Baptist doctrine to you. In conclusion, 
therefore, I ask you to carefully investigate our claims. 
You will find that the Baptist churches are right, because 
they are apostolic." 

" I can not agree with our friend about his Church 
and its claims," exclaimed Dr. Sherndon. " I am not able 
to find the record that says John the Baptist founded a 
church, and am led by the remarks of the brother to sup- 
pose that he did. Jesus said concerning John : ' I say 
unto you, Among them that are born of woman there is 



THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 85 

none greater than John, yet he that is but little in the 
kingdom of God is greater than he.' — Luke 7:28. I 
object to the name Baptists wear. While it is not of 
heathen origin, like the name Methodist, yet it is given 
the wrong trend. According to your own teachers, if the 
Bible words were translated, baptist would be immerser, 
or dipper. For this reason your name is no name at all." 

" The Doctor undoubtedly misunderstands me," inter- 
rupted the Baptist minister. " I am a Christian, a Bap- 
tist Christian ; we use the name to distinguish ourselves 
from the other denominations." 

" That does not strengthen your position any," replied 
the Doctor. " Paul tells us : ' If some of the branches 
were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive, wast 
grafted in among them, and didst become partaker with 
them of the root of the fatness of the olive tree ; glory 
not over the branches.' — Rom. 11 : 17, 18. You are wrong 
in using the human name, for you are not honoring Christ 
in wearing it. Let me illustrate this by a story. A young 
man by the name of Johns married a young lady. The 
day after the wedding she said to her husband : ' Your 
second cousin. Air. Smith, has a nicer name than you, and 
I believe I'll wear his name instead of yours.' The young 
husband demurred, but his wife persisted. Finally he 
said : ' You are my wife ; you must wear my name, or 
I shall disown you.' It is thus with you ; you claim to 
be married to Christ, but insist on wearing the name of 
his second cousin, John the Baptist. Again, it takes more 
to be a Baptist than a Christian. At our revival last 
winter fifty-seven were converted. You all agreed that 
they were Christians; after that they had to come before 



86 the king's highway. 

your church and go through an additional ceremony 
before they became Baptists." 

" They had to do that at the other churches, too," 
interrupted some one. 

" That doesn't help matters any," was the reply. " In 
regard to your calling yourselves Baptist Christians, I 
would say that I think there is just as much reason in 
calling the branches grafted into the olive tree, pear 
olives, squash olives, apple olives, or potato olives. 

" Our friend denounced creeds in his speech, but here 
[picking up a little book] is a volume entitled, A Con- 
fession of Faith, put forth by the Elders and Brethren of 
Many Congregations of Christians (baptized upon pro- 
fession of their faith), in London and in the country. 
Adopted by the Baptist Association met at Philadelphia, 
September 25, 1724. If our brother says he does not 
recognize this, his line of succession is broken. 

"Another objection to the Baptist Church is that it 
votes upon a member and declares him converted, and 
then teaches, ' Once in grace, always in grace.' If that 
member backslides, they vote him out, and declare that 
he never was converted, thus voting that their first vote 
was false. 

"Again, I oppose the Baptist doctrine of baptism. As 
our friend stated, the world agrees that immersion is bap- 
tism, but in saying that baptism is a non-essential, and 
that immersion only is baptism, they place a non-essen- 
tial as the barrier between themselves and others, thus 
opposing the tenor of Christ's prayer, that all (disciples) 
might be one. 

" One more objection and then I will give way to any 



THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 87 

one else who desires to speak. Baptists place their church 
above the kingdom, for they say an unimmersed believer 
can enter the kingdom, but can not enter the Baptist 
Church." 

After Dr. Sherndon had taken his seat, Mr. Title arose 
and said : " There are several things that I find in the 
Baptist plea that do not harmonize. Rev. Immers said 
the Didache, or Teaching of the Apostles, taught close 
communion. It states the fact that immersed believers 
had the privilege of communing. Baptists do not allow 
any but their own sect to commune." 

" The table is not mine, but my Father's," interrupted 
the minister, ' and I can not invite any one." 

" That reminds me of an incident," was the reply. "A 
Baptist minister invited a Presbyterian brother to preach 
for him. At the communion service the Baptist said: 
' This is my Father's table, brother, and so I can not 
invite you to partake.' ' Yes !' was the answer, ' and 
because it is not yours, but my Father's, I will not await 
your invitation, but help myself.' And to the amusement 
of the congregation he did so. 

" The brother boasted of his long line of succession. 
If he will carefully study history, he will learn that this 
line is broken in several places. He would learn that the 
Roger Williams church is the beginning of Baptistism in 
the United States. Williams was baptized by an unbap- 
tized man, and then he baptized those who made up the 
first Baptist church in America. 

"David Benedict, the noted Baptist historian, says: 
' In 1639 he [Roger Williams] was baptized by Ezckiel 
Holliman. a layman, who was appointed by the little com- 



88 the king's highway. 

pany for the purpose. Then he [Williams] baptized the 
rest of the company, and thus laid the foundation for the 
first Baptist church on the American continent.' — Gen- 
eral History of the Baptist Denomination in America, 
pp. 441, 442. 

" This made the baptism of the whole company irreg- 
ular, and therefore, according to Baptist theology, invalid. 

"Again, Baptists are not agreed on the subject of suc- 
cession, as the following, from Word and Way, Kansas 
City, Missouri, October 14, 1897, teaches: 

" ' Some of the brethren are about to trace our begin- 
ning as a denomination to one place and another. We 
think that after all we shall be able to settle down upon 
the following facts : From the third and fourth centuries 
there have been brethren who have kept closer to the true 
faith than did the people who developed into the Roman 
Catholic hierarchy. The faith and practice of these people 
were varied. Sometimes more and sometimes less Scrip- 
tural. At many times these communities held to doctrines 
which would utterly disqualify them for being called Bap- 
tists now. They were persecuted and slain by the Romish 
Church. The Baptist churches of to-day may be said to 
be the successors of these people. We dare not claim 
them as Baptists. They were not Baptists exactly like 
our Baptists of to-day. . . . Baptists, therefore, can not 
trace their history back to some man. as do the Meth- 
odists and the Lutherans. Tn the first place, in the very 
nature of the case there can be no Baptist church succes- 
sion. A Baptist church is an independent organization, 
and needs no successor to constitute a church. If a local 
church ceases to exist, that is all there is of that church. 



the: king's highway. 89 

in the very nature of the case. The main question, in our 
judgment, is: Do our churches of to-day conform to the 
New Testament pattern?' 

" Brother Immers told us that an evidence of apostol- 
icity was persecution. If that be true, then we can accept 
the Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, or Quakers as 
apostolic, for they were all persecuted by their opponents. 
Catholic and Protestant alike." 

" Then we are an apostolic club, for we have been 
persecuted," interrupted a voice. 

After the laughter that followed this sally, Mr. Title 
continued : " The claim that apostolic churches were inde- 
pendent can not be sustained. The Bible plainly teaches 
that they were one body. Therefore they must have been 
interdependent. Let me illustrate this, if I can. In this 
State there are many towns ; while they may in a sense be 
independent, yet we know that they are not in fact. Each 
one is a part of one State, subject to the higher law, 
and therefore interdependent. So the New Testament 
churches were one, governed by the law of liberty. 

" I need not mention any other objections, for I think 
it has been plainly demonstrated that the Baptist Church 
is not apostolic, and therefore not the one we are seeking." 

When Mr. Title had finished, the presiding officer 
introduced Rev. Ouenton, the Episcopal minister. This 
gentleman, like the others, had come prepared to over- 
whelm the club with facts and arguments that would 
prove his church to be the only right one, and to demon- 
strate the idea that all others were mere sects, and there- 
fore unworthy of consideration. After thanking the Pres- 
ident and members for the honor conferred upon him, he 



90 THE KING S HIGHWAY. 

said: " I am most happy to be present to-night and fur- 
nish you with such intelligence concerning our position as 
I can. I am always glad to find honest inquirers, and 
render them any service in this good cause. First, then, 
let me say I am not representing any branch of the church, 
but the church itself. We believe and practice the same 
things everywhere, hence are undivided. We have the 
only true creed — a creed that can be traced back with 
certainty to the beginning of the third century. 

" The Church of England is the established national 
church of England, and adopts as its creed the Thirty-nine 
Articles, together with the Book of Common Prayer. In 
theology it has preserved the general features of the Prot- 
estant church of Europe, but it has retained in unbroken 
succession the three orders of the larger pale from which 
it came. It dates its existence as a separate national body 
since 1543, and received its distinctive doctrinal character 
at the adoption of its creed. Our doctrinal standards, as 
I mentioned before, are the Thirty-nine Articles and the 
Book of Common Prayer. To these may be added the 
Catechism, and the Homilies issued during the reign of 
Charles VI. Briefly mentioned, these Articles are: A 
profession of faith in the Holy Trinity and the canon of 
Scripture, a belief in the Apostles' and Nicene creeds, 
original sin, justification by faith alone, rejection of 
Romish theories, emphasis of the sole and supreme 
authority of the Scriptures, etc. In 1886, when our Gen- 
eral Conference met in Chicago, we presented a basis of 
union in four articles : 

"1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Tes- 



THE KING S HIGHWAY. 91 

tament as containing all things necessary to salvation, and 
as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith. 

" 2. The Apostles' Creed as the baptismal symbol, and 
the Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of Christian 
faith. 

"3. The two sacraments — Baptism and the Supper 
of the Lord — ministered with unfailing use of Christ's 
word of institution, and of the elements ordained of Him. 

" 4. The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the 
methods of its administration to the varying needs of the 
nations and peoples called of God into the unity of His 
church. 

" I believe you will agree with me that this is a satis- 
factory basis, one which will appeal to all fair-minded 
persons. If my time was not so brief, I would like to 
speak of other things taught in the Book of Prayer, viz. : 
baptizing infants, baptizing those of riper years ; the burial 
of the dead, the litany, etc., but this will suffice. If you 
are really seeking the true way, I can guide you there. 
Remember your vows and obligations to the great Head 
of the Church. Turn from the false ways to the true. 
Come with us and we will do you good." 

When Rev. Quenton had concluded his remarks, he 
picked up his hat, and, turning to the members, said : " I 
hope you will excuse my leaving at this juncture. I have 
remained longer than I intended, and, as important busi- 
ness is awaiting my presence, I must hasten. I earnestly 
hope you will come to the Anglican Church and rest in 
the shelter of its folds." 

After his departure, Mr. Title suggested that they 



92 THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 

defer the discussion of Episcopalianism until the minister 
could be present. This was opposed by several, one of 
whom stated that he understood the club discussions to 
be for the benefit of the members, and that it should be 
unnecessary to wait for any one. Mr. Lawsler followed 
this remark by saying: "Our friend here is right; we 
are to decide for ourselves what is correct according to 
God's Holy Word. Rev. Quenton has presented a basis 
of union according to his church theory. It now behooves 
us to decide whether it is satisfactory or not. For one. 
I believe it is not. I can not see wherein his church is 
apostolic. It is called the Anglican Ecclesia, the Epis- 
copal Church, and the Church of England. In this coun- 
try it is the Protestant Episcopal Church. It should be 
unnecessary to say that all of these names are contrary 
to the Word. As England did not die to save us, I think 
it folly to consider her name as a church name. Epis- 
copal is derived from the Greek cpiscopos, an overseer 
or bishop. Individually, I don't want to join a Bishop 
church. The name Anglican also tells us where that 
church was started. Allow me to present briefly the 
history of the beginning of the Church of England. 

" The rupture from Rome in England was not, in the 
first instance, the product of the protest of religious prin- 
ciple against ecclesiastical abuse. Henry VIII. , in order 
to accomplish and justify his divorce, separated from 
Rome. Not only this, but he demanded that he be rec- 
ognized as ■ chief protector, the only supreme lord and 
head of the church and clergy in England.' Henry had 
no idea of a doctrinal reformation, and had very little 
sympathy with the continental Reformation. He was no 



THE KING S HIGHWAY. 93 

reformer from principle, and it was not till the reign of 
Edward VI. that doctrinal reform was accomplished. 

"Another thing I object to is the Thirty-nine Articles. 
They, in common with all other human creeds, should be 
abolished. Their great mistake is that they smack of the 
age of persecution and folly. And the Historic Episco- 
pate — you can trace it back to Cranmer, the Roman 
Catholic priest who was courageous enough to advise 
Henry VIII. In Rome you can trace it, in a manner, to 
Constantine the Great. But the line is broken at two 
different places, when women Popes occupied the chair 
of Peter. It is Romish in conception, theology and arro- 
gance. It is apostolic in little or nothing. Its standard is 
so unsatisfactory to those who are not Englishmen that 
eight clergymen and twenty laymen, led by Bishop George 
B. Cummins, D.D., who had reached the conclusion that 
he could not, without sin, longer give his life to uphold- 
ing a church as exclusive as the Church of England, met 
December 2, 1873, in New York City, and organized the 
Reformed Episcopal Church. They condemned the fol- 
lowing doctrines of their former church as contrary to 
God's Word : 

" 1. That the Christian ministers are 'priests' in 
another sense than that in which all believers are 'a 
royal priesthood.' 

" 2. That Christ's church exists in only one order or 
form of ecclesiastical polity, i. e., the historical episcopacy. 

" There are many other points that can be brought 
against the Episcopal Church, but I think these are 
enough to show that it will not satisfy our ideals. For 



94 the: king s highway. 

one, I wish to say that I am discouraged, and am fearful 
that we are seeking a mare's nest. Can it be that Christ's 
church has disappeared from the earth, and we are all 
in darkness? God help us in our search, that we may 
find the path that is true and peaceful." 

Mr. Lawsler's closing remarks were deeply felt by all 
present, and many were the expressions of anxiety con- 
cerning their future quest. Could it be true that the apos- 
tasy reigned supreme ? Ah, no ! Somewhere in this great 
world God has a people who, like Israel of old, are wor- 
shiping the true God. Somewhere there are the seven 
thousand who have not bowed to Baal. 



CHAPTER XII. 
A Surprise. 

Thursday evening - found the hall crowded with mem- 
bers and visitors at an early hour, all waiting impatiently 
for the meeting to begin. The words of Mr. Tawsler 
could not be forgotten. Old catechisms and books on 
theology had been taken from their hiding places and 
carefully read ; creeds and confessions of faith were 
studied, and some had re-searched the Bible for some 
light on the subject. Probably none had suffered as 
much as Dr. Sherndon. At his- first opportunity he had 
re-read the long- forgotten Confession of Faith. The book 
had been in the house since his boyhood, but during the 
years of his married life had been read but little. Care- 
fully scanning its pages, he was amazed, then dum- 
founded, at some of the articles. What passed after the 
reading of the book will never be known. Dr. Shern- 
don retired to his library and locked the door, and there, 
with no one present but his Lord, he fought his battle — 
and won. 

When the time for meeting arrived, all were greatly 
disappointed to learn that Dr. Shellman was very ill 
and could not be present. But the surprise was greater 
than the disappointment when Dr. Sherndon arose and 
advanced to the front of the hall. All present could see 

(95) 



96 THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 

that he was laboring under suppressed excitement, but 
none could divine the cause. 

Facing the audience silently for a moment, he began : 
" While I deeply regret Dr. Shellman's illness, T want to 
say that he could not convince us that Presbyterianism 
is apostolic. As you well know, I have been an elder in 
that church for ten years ; but I am one no longer. My 
resignation was handed to the pastor yesterday. I have 
withdrawn from that church, and stand before you as an 
humble disciple of the Christ, anxiously waiting for a 
solution of our problem. During the past week I have 
carefully re-read our Confession of Faith, and have been 
terribly astounded at its contents. It has been years since 
I read the book, and I naturally supposed that in the time 
intervening the creed had kept up with the times. What 
was my consternation, then, to meet the medieval doc- 
trine of Calvin strongly intrenched in its pages. Without 
argument I ask you to tell me, Can God be the author of 
such rubbish as this? 

" ' III. — 3. By the decree of God, for the manifesta- 
tion of His glory, some men and angels are predes- 
tinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to 
everlasting death. 

'"4. These angels and men thus predestinated and 
foreordained are particularly and unchangeably designed, 
and their number is so certain and definite that it can not 
be increased or diminished.' 

"'X. — 3. Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regen- 
erated and saved through the Spirit.' etc. 

"'4. Others not elected, although they may be called 
by the Word and may have some common operations of 



the king's highway. 97 

the Spirit, yet they never truly come to Christ, and 
therefore can not be saved.' 

" But why read farther, why burden you with any 
more of this creed? Surely this is sufficient to have us 
know that the creed and the church are not apostolic." 

"May they not have revised that?" asked a Presby- 
terian in the audience. 

" I had hoped so, but on visiting Dr. Shellman, he 
gravely informed me that it was not only in force, but 
that the Presbyterian Church was opposed to revising it. 
Of the one hundred and forty-one Presbyteries that had 
reported on the matter of revision, one-third favored a 
moderate revision ; one-third a supplemental creed, i. e. } a 
brief statement for public use ; and one-third opposed any 
change whatever. He told me that he did not think it 
good policy to disturb the church by agitating the subject, 
the church being too divided to take action on any of the 
plans proposed. He also gave me a book by the great 
Dutch theologian, Abraham Kuyper, to read, marking 
several pages for my special benefit. While I may not 
be able to overthrow any of his arguments on the Holy 
Spirit, (the title is, The Work of the Holy Spirit,) yet 
his theology of Calvinism is as weak as Calvin's himself. 
I will read but a few extracts: 

" 'While the sinner is still dead in trespasses and sin, 
before the work of God has begun in him, he is already 
chosen and ordained, justified and sanctified ' (page 306). 

" ' That God regenerates one and not another is accord- 
ing to a fixed and unalterable rule. He comes with regen- 
eration to the elect, and the non-elect he passes by. Hence 
this act of God is irresistible' (page 307). 



98 THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 

"According to his theory, faith is the gift of God — a 
direct gift — and he quotes in evidence of this Ephesians 
2:8,' For by grace have ye been saved through faith, 
and that not of yourselves ; it is the gift of God.' ' 

"Well! doesn't that verse teach it?" interrupted a 
member. 

" Not if rightly understood," was the reply. " What 
is the antecedent of it? If you will turn to Matthew 
16: 18, you will find a similar sentence; so, also, in the 
verses preceding that. Let us notice these. 

" 1. 'Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the 
Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered 
and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah ; 
for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my 
Father who is in heaven.' 

" It, in this sentence refers to ' Thou art the Christ, 
the Son of the living God.' 

"2. 'I will build my church, and the gates of Hades 
shall not prevail against it/ 

"'I will build' [my church] is the antecedent of it. 
In the Greek, it and / will build (oikodomeesoo) are in 
the same gender. 

" 3. ' For by grace ye are saved through faith ; and 
that not of yourselves ; it is the gift of God.' 

" The phrase ' by grace ye are saved,' or salvation by 
grace, is the antecedent of it, Here again it is in the 
same gender as its antecedent. In the second sentence 
they are feminine ; in this one, neuter. 

"4. 'She is pretty, and she knows it' 

" Any one can see that it refers to ' she is pretty ' in 
this sentence." 



THE KING S HIGHWAY. 99 

" Doctor ! why should the Presbyterians want to revise 
their creed? Why not do away with it?" asked Professor 
Harwood. " The Bible is sufficient to guide us in this 
world and point us to the next. Creeds of all description 
are divisive, and hence should be discarded." 

To this the Doctor made no reply, but returned to 
his seat. 

After the excitement caused by Dr. Sherndon's re- 
marks had subsided, Rev. Showter, a Holiness minister, 
was introduced, and briefly outlined his theory and church 
polity. As much of it was like that of the Methodist min- 
ister, and as he was rather abusive, he was interrupted by 
so many questions that he finally lost his temper and left 
the hall in disgust. His main argument was sanctification 
as a second work of grace ; this to be found at the mourn- 
ers' bench, and to make the recipient thereof sinless and 
keep him sinless. 

That the modern doctrine of sanctification is in error 
in its conception of spiritual life was easily seen in the 
bearing of the speaker. His claims were too extravagant 
to merit a passing notice. His position of sinless perfec- 
tion found no warrant in the few verses of Scripture that 
he quoted. Nowhere do the apostles claim to be per- 
fectly sinless. Indeed, Peter sinned at Antioch, and Paul 
says of himself that he was not perfect. 

John Suete was the first to present any objections to 
his doctrine. He urged the following against the use of 
the mourners' bench in religion : 

i. It induces undue excitement, and therefore unfits 
the mind for sober decision. 



IOO THE KING S HIGHWAY. 

2. It presumes to say that man's invention is just as 
good as God's law. 

3. It makes conversion and sanctification depend 
entirely upon the feelings instead of God's commands. 

Mr. Title then read part of an editorial from Elder 
Jesse Bowman Young, editor of the St. Louis Christian 
Advocate, a Methodist journal, in which he said: "The 
old type of revival services, in which a mourners' bench, 
a series of terrifically exciting exercises, and a sort of 
rousing and hortatory fervor were the chief features, are 
in many places wholly out of date, and it is not to be 
questioned that they are, in spots at least, permanently 
obsolete." 

" There is one thing I would like to know," asked a 
young man. " I read in 1 John 3:9,' Whosoever is born 
of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in 
him: and he can not sin.' Now, if we can not sin, why 
wasn't Rev. Showter's position right?" 

This sudden appeal to the Scriptures silenced the 
speakers for a moment. Then Deacon Rames said : " I 
believe John was speaking comparatively. The Bible uses 
the words can not in several places that will possibly 
interpret this verse. 

" 1. In Nehemiah 6:3: 'And I sent messengers unto 
them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I can not 
come down/ 

" Nehemiah does not mean that it was physically 
impossible for him to come down, but that his present 
work was more important. 

" 2. Hebrews 9:5: 'And over it the cherubim of 



THE KING S HIGHWAY. 101 

glory shadowing - the mercy seat, of which we can not 
now speak.' 

" Paul did not mean that he was absolutely dumb, 
but that his subject was too important to dwell on another 
at that time. 

" We say we can not go because more important 
affairs keep us ; so with this verse, we can not sin because 
we have something more important to do." 

" If our young friend will carefully note the definitions 
of sin, it may give him additional light on that verse," 
said Professor Harwood. " He will learn from I John 
5 : 17 and James 4: 17 that there are sins of omission and 
commission. In the verse read he is writing about posi- 
tive transgression. Now let him remember that scholars 
consider the present tense in Greek to have a continuing 
force, and he will see that the Christian who makes a 
practice of sin has left his calling. In addition to this 
we are taught to abide in Christ, and John says (1 John 
3:6): ' Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not.' If we 
abide in a room, we can not go out ; when we go out, we 
are no longer abiding therein. So with us ; we may forget 
some time and transgress — step out and sin — but we 
can not continue therein and be in Christ." 

While Professor Harwood was speaking, a well- 
dressed stranger had entered the hall and pressed his 
way to the front. At the first opportunity he arose and 
asked permission to address the club, stating that he 
was a representative of the Church of Jesus Christ, and 
an apostle. In his explanation of his peculiar doctrine 
he requested those present not to confound him with the 
Utah Mormons, or Brighamites, as he called them ; he 



102 THE KING S HIGHWAY. 

was an apostle of the reorganized Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-day Saints, and had no affiliation with the apos- 
tates of Utah. Speaking of the Book of Mormon, he said : 

" No book is so little understood and so much mis- 
represented. Without it the scientific and literary world 
are at a loss to know the true history of the civilized 
people who flourished here centuries before the landing 
of Columbus. These people came here about 2100 B.C., 
but became extinct because of their wickedness. About 
600 B.C. the Lord directed a colony to come here from 
Jerusalem. These people were blessed by the personal 
appearing of Jesus Christ (John 10:16; Matt. 15:24) 
after His resurrection and ascension to heaven. An 
abridged account of their religious book was made and 
hidden by Moroni in a hill in New York. An angel of 
God directed Joseph Smith to the place, instructing him 
to translate the work. The golden plates were seen and 
handled by eleven others, three of whom conversed with 
the angel. The book does not supplant the Bible, but is 
an auxiliary and a companion volume. Do not, then, be 
unbelieving ; read, study, reflect ; prove all things ; hold 
fast that which is good." 

In addition to the above, he also gave them an epitome 
of the Saints' belief, and some general advice in regard 
to joining the Latter-day Saints' Church. 

While he was listened to with interest, very little cre- 
dence was given to his extraordinary claims. A noted 
lecturer on Mormonism had been in Westville a short 
time previous, and had given a complete expose of the 
Mormon fraud. Some objections, however, were made 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. IO3 

by John Suete and Dr. Sherndon,- the principal ones 
being on the testimony of the witnesses and the peculiar 
geography of the book. 

When John arose to present his objections, he said: 
" For the benefit of those who did not hear the lecture, 
I want to present the following objections to the Church 
of the Latter-day Saints : 

" 1. They are divided and at bitter war among them- 
selves. The three leading sects are: (a) The Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or ' Brighamites,' with 
headquarters in Salt Lake City, (b) The reorganized 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or ' Joseph- 
ites,' with headquarters at Lamoni, Iowa. (c) The 
Church of Christ, or Hedrickites. David Witmer, one 
of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, was their seer. 
I don't know who has taken his place. Their headquar- 
ters are in Missouri. These three sects do not agree 
among themselves as to what Joseph Smith said. They 
denounce as fraudulent many revelations of Joseph that 
each print, and refuse to recognize each others' books. 

" 2. They require faith in Joseph Smith, in the books 
he has produced, in the Mormon priesthood, and in con- 
tinuous revelation. They also teach a baptism for the 
dead that is contrary to common sense and the Bible. 
For evidence of this I produce the following: 'I spent 
the day in council. ... I told the brethren that the 
Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on 
earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would 
get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by 



104 the: king s highway. 

any other, book.' — History of J. Smith, Millennial Star, 
Vol. XVIIL, p. 790. 

" ' I send forth the fullness of my gospel by the hand 
of my servant Joseph.' — D. and C, Section 35: 17. 

"'Men who honor the priesthood, honor God; and 
those who reject it, reject God.' — New Witness for God, 

P . 187. 

" 3. Their geography is false and ignorant. Lehi and 
Nephi claim to leave Jerusalem 600 B.C. They go into 
the wilderness, and the Red Sea is mentioned. The book 
says they left the Red Sea and went eastward many days. 
Again it says they traveled many days east. If any one 
would do this, he would land in the Arabian desert. If 
he continues east, the ' big waters ' he reaches will not 
be the Atlantic, but the Arabian Sea. 

" 4. The so-called witnesses of the Book of Mormon 
are fraudulent, as the following will show : 

" Martin Harris receives the following command or 
revelation: 'And I, the Lord, command him, my servant, 
Martin Harris, that he shall say no more concerning these 
things except he shall say, I have seen them, and they 
have been shown unto me by the power of God, and 
these are the words which he shall say ; but if he deny 
this, he will break the covenant with me, and behold he 
is condemned.' — D. and C, page 174. 

" Now let me show you a second fraud (D. and C, 
page 176, April, 1829) : k Oliver Cowdrey, verily, verily, 
I say unto you, . . . surely shall you receive a knowl- 
edge concerning the engravings of old records, which are 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 105 

ancient, which contain these parts of my Scriptures, which 
have been spoken by the manifestation of my Spirit ; yea, 
behold. / will tell you in your mind and in your heart. 
by the Holy Ghost, which shall come into you, and which 
shall dwell in your heart.' " 

" If I understand rightly/' said a member, " that man 
could not have been an apostle, for he has not seen the 
Lord, nor heard the message from his lips, and has not 
been a witness of his resurrection.'' 

When this member had taken his seat, a silence deep 
and painful prevailed. Sectism was reaping that which 
it had sowed — sorrow, distrust, anguish, dissatisfaction, 
and turmoil. After weeks of study and research the 
churches presented nothing acceptable to the Bible stu- 
dents. Those who were members when the club was 
formed were to-day men and women without a church 
home. Babylon was behind them. Before them stretched 
the great future, with its unknown pathways. Should 
they continue their study, or should they disband without 
reaching the goal they had expected to reach? All these 
were discussed, without coming to any conclusion. Some 
suggested that they send for ministers of other denomi- 
nations, but this was speedily rejected. What could they 
gather from any more denominations ? Chaos and unrest, 
but not peace. Confusion worse confounded would be the 
only result. 

Finally John Suete proposed they turn aside from 
denominational ministers and find a Bible plan. " We 
have found/' said he, " a satisfactory answer for all our 
subjects in the Bible, surelv we will find one for this also. 



106 the king's highway. 

I believe it will be safe for us to take our Books and find 
God's plan of union. We have learned that twentieth 
century denominationalism can not solve our problem. 
What, then, is left for us to do but go to God's Word?" 
This proposition seemed to satisfy the majority of the 
audience, and without much discussion was accepted... 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Gospel Meetings. 

When the people of Westville opened their papers 
the next day they beheld the following notice among 
the locals : 

" Gospel Meetings. 
"A series of gospel meetings will be held by 
D. C. Goodnow, of the churches of Christ, in the 
old Baptist church building, on Locust Street, 
beginning Monday evening, at 7 o'clock. We 
hope to see you at these meetings." 

Many of those who glanced through this notice read 
it again, and wondered what it could mean. None of the 
Westville churches were going to hold a meeting. Who 
could the stranger be? And the name he used — "the 
churches of Christ " — that name was foreign to church 
circles in the neighborhood. But it was a name that 
attracted the attention of the members, and caused many 
of them to decide to attend the meetings and learn about 
the man and his work. 

During the day Dr. Sherndon visited the office of John 
Suete and suggested that they go to hear the stranger. 
But as John would be very busy Monday and Tuesday, 
he declined the invitation. The Doctor learned, however. 



108 the king's highway. 

that several of the club members would be there, and that, 
judging by the conversation he overheard, a good many 
others would attend. 

When the Doctor arrived at the meeting place Monday 
evening, he found fifty or sixty persons in attendance. 
The stranger proved to be a smooth-faced, keen-looking 
young man about thirty years old. The meeting was con- 
ducted without any ostentation ; one thing that attracted 
especial attention was the absence of choir and organ, 
usual requisites of such meetings. The sermon was an 
interesting discourse on the resurrection. After the ser- 
mon he made the announcements concerning the future of 
the meetings, giving a brief outline of the line of thought 
to be presented. When the benediction had been pro- 
nounced, Dr. Sherndon pressed forward to where the 
speaker was getting acquainted with some of the audience 
and invited him home ; the invitation was accepted in 
the same hearty manner in which it was given, and the 
preacher began making arrangements to accompany him. 
The Doctor was so anxious to learn more about the 
stranger and his church doctrine that he could hardly 
wait till they got away from the others who were still 
conversing with him. He knew that his wife would be 
as interested as he, so he refrained from asking the ques- 
tions that were uppermost in his mind, and enjoyed him- 
self as well as he could by explaining to him the troubles 
and triumphs of the club. To his surprise, the stranger 
became greatly interested, and indorsed the different 
positions the Doctor mentioned. 

Mrs. Sherndon was delighted with the stranger, and 
the conversation begun on the way home soon became 



the: king s highway. 109 

animated. "To what denomination do you belong?" 
asked Airs. Sherndon. 

"I do not belong- to any of the modern denomina- 
tions," was the reply. 

" Why, how can that be ? I supposed every Christian 
belonged to some denomination." 

" That is only a modern notion," replied the stranger ; 
" the ancient church knew nothing of such things. Paul, 
you remember, rebuked the incipient schisms in the 
Corinthian church, telling them that they were carnal. 
Let me read it to you : ' Now I beseech you, brethren, 
through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all 
speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions 
among you ; . . . For it hath been signified to me . . . 
that there are contentions among you. Now this I mean, 
that each one of you saith, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, 
and I of Cephas, and I of Christ.' — 1 Cor. 10: 12." 

" What, then, do you call yourself ?" interrupted the 
Doctor. 

" A Christian ; that worthy name is all I care to wear." 

" But how do you distinguish yourself and your 
brethren from other Christians?" 

" Why should I, or my brethren, want to distinguish 
ourselves from other Christians? God is no respecter of 
persons, and we should all be one in Christ Jesus. A 
Christian is a Christian the world over." 

" Will you not give us your reasons for your pecu- 
liarity?" asked the Doctor. 

" I need only refer you to Romans 16: 16, or Matthew 
16: 18, for the church's name. For the individual name 
I read first Acts 11 : 26: ' The disciples were called Chris- 



HO THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 

tians first in Antioch.' This name honors Christ and tells 
all whose servant I am." 

"But doesn't it unchristianize others?" 

"No! If I say I am a Jones, it certainly does not 
prevent others from wearing that name." 

' But may we not be Presbyterian Christians or Meth- 
odist Christians?" 

"Paul says (Romans 11:17,18): 'If some of the 
branches were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive, 
wast grafted in among them, and didst become partakers 
with them of the root of the fatness of the olive tree, 
glory not over the branches.' Now, what would you 
think if those branches tried to glory over one another 
by saying, I am a pear-olive, and am better than that 
onion-olive or that apple-olive over there? They were 
all olive branches ; so we should all be Christians only. 
Again, Jesus said: '"I am the vine, ye are the branches.' 
Let us imagine a vine with pumpkin, potato, grape, 
squash and other branches. What a curiosity it would 
be ! If we want to honor Christ, we must eschew human 
lames. Have you never noticed how the name is linked 
vith our lives and work in His cause? 

"We are baptized into his name. Matt. 28: 19. 

" We are espoused to him. 2 Cor. 11:2. 

" We are joined to him. Rom. 7 : 4. 

" We glorify God in this name. 1 Peter 4: 16. 

"We are reproached in his name. 1 Peter 4: 14." 

" Do you believe all can be convinced of this ?" asked 
Mrs. Sherndon. 

" I do not know," replied the stranger, sadly. " There 



the: kings highway. hi 

are many men of perverse minds who please self rather 
than God. There are others who fear the cry of popu- 
larity. But I believe there are many who are anxiously 
looking for better things, and I am placing great hope in 
these. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. A few 
may convince the many." 

The conversation was continued until a late hour, the 
stranger bringing out many passages of Scripture to 
defend his position, and proving to the Doctor and his 
wife that on this one point at least he was right. 

Those who have had some important question settled 
in a satisfactory manner can appreciate the feelings of 
the Doctor and his wife at the close of the evening's con- 
versation. Here was a man who knew nothing among 
the people but Jesus Christ and him crucified — who gave 
a "Thus saith the Lord" for his belief, and was able 
to leave opinions out of his teaching. Educated and cul- 
tured, yet an humble follower of the lowly Nazarene, he 
was able and willing to teach others the Way of Life 
perfectly. The Doctor was determined that John should 
meet him and converse with him on the subject of religion. 

The next morning, immediately after breakfast, the 
Doctor made several calls on his patients, and then 
returned home to take the stranger, whom we will call 
Brother Goodnow, to John's office. John had returned 
from his trip, and was sitting in his office reading a 
pamphlet when the two gentlemen entered. After the 
introduction and a few commonplace remarks, John told 
them he was reading a short article on Church Union. 
The plan, he thought, was excellent, but the writer had 
presented some things that were unscriptural, and by that 



112 THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 

means weakened his plea. " I suppose," he said, turning 
to the stranger, " that you also have a plan ?" 

" Yes, sir!" was the emphatic reply. "A divine plan. 
I do not know whether I can convince the public here of 
this fact, but some will recognize it. Too many are yet 
groping in the twilight of gospel knowledge. Too few 
are standing in the sunlight of everlasting truth. Priest- 
craft is yet too powerful to be overthrown in a day ; but 
each day finds some new influence to weaken its authority 
and dogmatism." 

" What is your plan ?" asked John, becoming interested. 

" Briefly speaking, it is based on the Bible. You will 
find a basis in Ephesians 4: 1-6. If we take Christ at his 
word, we need have no fear of division. 

" Since my conversation with the Doctor last night, I 
have decided to preach on the subject to-morrow night, 
and give any one who desires an opportunity to ask ques- 
tions. I think this will be a good way to get it before 
the public." 

" I am very much interested in your plan," replied 
John, " and will certainly be present." 

Then followed a conversation on church names, the 
work of the club, the religious outlook and other matters, 
that occupied the whole forenoon, and brought the three 
men into a friendship that was never broken. 

The evening meeting found a slightly increased audi- 
ence at the chapel. The sermon was as interesting and 
instructive as the previous one. After the sermon he 
began to make the announcements for the following 
service. He told them to take a special invitation to the 
pastors of the town, for they surely would be interested 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. II3. 

in saving souls, and getting into closer fellowship with 
one another. A special invitation was also given to the 
members of the club to bring their friends with them, 
because they had been trying to solve this same question. 
After a general invitation to all, and the announcement 
that he would have an open meeting after the sermon, 
when any one might ask questions on the subject, he 
closed with the usual benediction. 

Of course this new departure from the established 
custom was thoroughly discussed the next day. That a 
minister would allow any one to ask him questions during 
a church service was beyond the comprehension of many. 
Why! some infidel might be there and ask a question, 
or some one might mention baptism or some other for- 
bidden subject. It was contrary to orthodoxy, and would 
never do. 

That evening the house was filled with eager listeners, 
the clergymen of Westville being conspicuous by their 
absence. Everything was done with devotion, and all 
noticed the earnestness and piety of the speaker. The 
sermon came fresh and warm from the heart of one who 
was a child of God. Of it, however, we can give only a 
brief outline. 

After reading John 17, and briefly commenting on it, 
he proceeded to discuss the question as from a business 
man's standpoint. Three test questions were propounded : 
1. Is it legal? 2. Will it pay? 3. Can it be improved? 
In answer to the first he said: "(a) Jesus prayed for it. 
John 17. (b) Paul commanded it. Rom. 15: 5, 6; I Cor. 
1: 10-13; 3:3-5. (c) The apostolic church possessed it. 



x 14 the: king's highway. 

Eph. 4:4; 5 : 27. What a contrast between that and 
modern denominationalism !" 

For the second he read Amos 3: 3 and Luke 11 : 17. 
Then presented the illustrations of economy of force and 
centralization. These were enforced by several practical 
lessons drawn from business and nature. 

" The world is full of evidence that it will pay. It is 
the only thing that meets the demand. It is the only 
thing that will destroy warring sects. And it is that 
which the religious world seeks, but can not find, because 
of traditions and prejudice. Yet in their gropings many 
are asking for this unity. 

" S. C. Bby, Swedenborgian, says : ' Can any one 
imagine Jesus Christ formulating the creeds ? . . . When 
we reach the nineteenth century we find a wall of inter- 
pretation around the simple gospel of Jesus Christ so 
thick and solid that nothing short of a spiritual miracle 
will enable you to get a glimmer of the meaning of Him.' 

" Dean Davis, Episcopal, writes : ' The weakness of 
Christianity to-day is in its divided condition. I think 
the various denominations should unite.' 

" From Dr. Jessie Young, editor of the (M. B.) Cen- 
tral Christian Advocate, we hear this : 'We are not bound 
to accept the exact phases and forms of dogmatic truth 
which the fathers formulated.' 

" Can this be improved ? I say no ! Let me present 
to you the condition of sectarianism to-day. I go into a 
little town of eight hundred people, and there are five 
churches and five men wasting their energies where one 
might do good. One church to seat six hundred people 
would be enough. I tell you the gospel can not accom- 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 115 

plish its triumph until we become one, and these things 
are overthrown. 

"What a contrast this divided state is with the 
description of Christ's cause in the Word! 

"(a) Members of one body. — Rom. 12:4,5. 
"(b) Branches of one vine. — John 15: 1-8. 
"(c) Stones in one building. — 1 Peter 2:5; Eph. 
2: 20. 

" (d) Sheep in one sheepfold. — John 10: 1-4; 7-9." 

In the after-meeting many questions were asked and 
answered, convincing the people more and more of the 
beauty and truth of the stranger's plea. 

" Don't you think the church to-day represents an 
army?" asked Mrs. Suete. " Here is one part, the 
infantry; there another, the cavalry. All are fighting 
Satan." 

" Ah ! But are they fighting Satan shoulder to 
shoulder? In an army the infantry doesn't fight its own 
cavalry ; neither does the artillery fire on its own infantry, 
The army is a unit ; modern denominationalism is not." 

" Doesn't the union exist in an invisible form ?" asked 
Mr. Title. 

" That would be impossible for two reasons : First, 
there is no union in division. Second, Jesus said (John 
17 : 20, 21) the world would see it and be influenced by it." 

" How do you expect this union to be brought about?" 
asked another. 

" By surrendering opinions, by having no name but 
the Christ's, by having no creed but the creed of primi- 
tive Christianity, — and let me say here, this was not the 



116 the; king's highway. 

so-called Apostolic Creed, — by having no rule of faith 
and practice but the Bible. You will admit that we can 
come to that position for Jesus' sake." 

"But does the Bible give us everything we need? I 
think we ought to have something to show as a rule of 
faith." 

" If you will show me a creed as good as the Bible, 
I will accept it. But to your question. The Scriptures 
are ' profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, instruc- 
tion, that a man may be furnished complete unto all 
good works.' " 

" Would your plea not destroy mission and church 
societies?" asked Professor Harwood. 

" It might destroy mission societies, but it would not 
destroy missions. There are many missionaries in the 
world to-day who owe no allegiance to societies. Would 
it not be as easy for a church, or several churches, to 
select a missionary and support him, as to have a society 
do it? Of the other church societies I can but say, they 
are doing nothing that could not be done without them." 

" We get our creed out of the Bible," interrupted a 
young man who had in various ways tried to show his 
opposition to the preaching. 

" Then," was the quiet reply, " I would advise you to 
put it right back where you got it. Why should men 
write creeds and impose them upon other men? Why 
should they build narrow sects and bind others by their 
influences ? The apostles did not thus ; neither did the 
primitive church. We can not turn to the world of poli- 
tics or lodges and say these are separate, because men 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. WJ 

can not see alike, and they must be suited. The church 
that wears the name of Christ must keep itself unspotted 
from the world. Human systems can not be substituted 
for the divine. Anarchy must not take the place of 
Christ's authority. Aged theories dare not be upheld 
because they are hoary-headed. God's Word is the 
people's book, and we must abide by its teaching-." 

There is a marvelous power in the plea for a simple 
New Testament Christianity, and therefore such a meet- 
ing and subject could not but have its influence on West- 
ville. There were some besides the members of the club 
who began to see " men as trees walking." Many were 
seeking a satisfactory solution of the divisions existing 
by searching if perchance they might find an unre- 
visable creed, one that would be broad enough to cover 
the world ; simple enough to reach the humblest mind ; 
strong enough to bind all believers in a holy unity, and 
profound enough to attract the most comprehensive intel- 
lect. That New Testament Christianity offers such a 
creed was plainly demonstrated by the stranger. Secta- 
rianism as an unmitigated evil was set before the people 
and contrasted with the power and holiness of the gospel. 
The question now before the churches was, Would they 
accept or reject this simple plea? Alas! too many were 
blinded by prejudice or popularity or human frailties to 
take the necessary stand for God and right. Too many 
seemingly preferred what was merely inferential reason- 
ing rather than that which is right. Yet here, as in every 
community, there were those who gladly heard and obeyed 
the command: 'Come orth, my people, out of her, that 



118 THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 

ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive 
not of her plagues.' While the former were berating the 
stranger as a religious disturber, the latter were happy in 
the belief that a teacher had been found who would lead 
them out of the mists into the glorious light of the gospel 
of Jesus Christ. 



CHAPTER XIV. 
The: First Convert. 

The next day, while several gentlemen were in John's 
office, the stranger entered. It was not long until the con- 
versation centered on the sermon of the previous evening. 

" Mr. Goodnow, what do you consider the main causes 
of division among professed Christians to-day?" asked 
John. 

" I would place these as the real causes," was the 
reply: " I. Human opinions made a test of fellowship. 
2. Human names for the followers of Christ. 3. Sub- 
stitutes for God's commands. 4. Human creeds as a 
standard of doctrine. 

" This, I believe, can be readily seen by noticing 
Paul's statement (1 Cor. 3: 11) : 'Other foundations can 
no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus the Christ/ 
If all believers had more of the mind of Christ, they could 
and would lay aside these humanisms. I notice that the 
more carnal a Christian is, the more sectarian he will be. 
You will agree with me that it is a want of conformity 
to the divine will that has created all the rival sects, with 
all the attending bitterness, jealousies and follies." 

" If I am not interrupting, I would like to ask you 
what your subjects will be to-night and to-morrow?" 

"To-night I preach on 'The Will of God'; tomor- 
row on 'Man Must Do Something to Be Saved'; the 



120 THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 

next evening on 'What Must a Man Do to Be Saved?' 
For some reason I forgot that last night." 

This announcement naturally led the conversation into 
other channels, each one becoming more and more inter- 
ested, until, to their surprise, one of them announced 
that it was ten minutes to noon. The gentlemen imme- 
diately dispersed to their several homes, carrying with 
them goodly thoughts, that were again discussed in the 
presence of their families. 

The sermon that evening was a revelation to the 
church-goers of Westville. They heard things discussed 
that had never been mentioned in their pulpits before. 
So the next night, and the next. On this evening the 
preacher led them to the cross on Calvary, from there to 
the tomb ; then giving a graphic description of the resur- 
rection morn, he led them on to the great commission. 
He dwelt earnestly on these last words of the Savior as 
recorded by Matthew and Mark. Then he went to the 
memorable Pentecost, the wonderful scenes, the amazed 
Jews ; that fiery sermon that touched the hearts of the 
multitude and led three thousand of them to Christ. 
With eloquent language he portrayed the agonizing cry 
of the convicted Jews : " Men, brethren, what shall we 
do?" And the answer of Peter as the Spirit gave him 
utterance: " Repent ye and be baptized, every one of you 
in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your 
sins : and ye shall receive the gift of the Holv Ghost " 
(Acts 2:37,38). 

He then invited any one present who earnestly believed 
to Yield to the gospel terms. Greatly to the surprise of the 
audience. Dr. Sherndon rose from his seat and advanced 



the: kings HIGHWAY. 121 

to the preacher, where he made a public declaration of 
his faith in Christ and his willingness to obey him. After 
this confession the preacher turned to the audience and 
told them that they would imitate the Bible example and 
baptize the same hour of the night. They immediately 
went to the river, where, after a short prayer, the Doctor 
was buried beneath the yielding water, and rose again to 
the new life. This beautiful ordinance occasioned quite a 
stir among those on the bank. Very few had seen any- 
thing like it, yet it seemed to correspond perfectly with 
the practice of the apostles. As the preacher stepped 
out of the water, John, who had quietly left the crowd 
and stood by the water side, said : " Brother Goodnow, 
here is water. What hinders me to be baptized?" The 
question came with startling clearness, and the minister, 
stopped by the question and noticing the look of earn- 
estness in the questioner's face, responded: "If thou 
believest with all thy heart, thou mayest." With a tremor 
in his voice John replied : " I believe that Jesus is the 
Christ." None in the audience had noticed John until he 
stopped the minister with his question. When his earnest 
" I believe " rang out on the moonlight air, a thrill ran 
through the crowd, and more than one eye was wet with 
tears, and his wife dropped to her knees, with thanks to 
God for her husband's conversion. In a few moments 
John was also baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and 
the crowd dispersed to their homes. 

This event occasioned much comment and opposition. 
Many began to search the Scriptures to see whether these 
things were so ; others to prove the new doctrine false. 
The Pedobaptist ministers pooh-poohed the stranger and 



122 THE KING S HIGHWAY. 

his work until they found that some of their members 
were getting wonderfully interested ; then they planned to 
prevent their attendance. The searchers were soon con- 
vinced that if this doctrine were false, the Bible could 
not be true. One thing was soon noticed and commented 
on, viz. : that the preacher could tell every honest inquirer 
his duty in the very language of the Scriptures. The fact 
that his first converts were men of prominence in West- 
ville was of considerable aid in the new work. Thev 
were men who did not hastily change their opinions, and 
were noted as being of more than ordinary intelligence. 
The editor of The Gazette was among the number 
who were led away by prejudice. Besides three articles 
by the ministers of the town, he wasted a column of his 
paper in an editorial opposing what he termed A Watery 
Salvation. The editorial began by berating the stranger 
and advising the people to remain away from his meet- 
ings. He referred them to the Adventist meeting and its 
outcome, slurred the work of the club, and denominating 
it as a society of cranks and would-be theologians, and 
closed by saying: "It seems very strange that respect- 
able gentlemen should choose the dark hour of night to 
pretend to come to Christ. Heaven is certainly not an 
island, that we have to swim to it. We do not under- 
stand why our respectable citizens lend countenance to 
such proceedings. Neither do we understand what Air. 
Goodnow's idea is in coming to our town. Is it his inten- 
tion to sow strife and discord among the churches of our 
beautiful city? Does he think his actions will go unchal- 
lenged? Already three of our ministers have raised their 
voices in protest, and undoubtedly the others will be heard 



THE KING S HIGHWAY. 1 23 

from. We are not a theologian, but we wish to conclude 
this editorial with the following statement from Dr. F. W. 
Evans, of Des Moines : * ' No word signifying immersion 
is ever used in connection with any application of water 
under the law.' " 

The letters were curiosities, in that they showed to 
what straits professed ministers of the gospel will go to 
uphold their church theories. The first was from the 
Holiness minister : 

"To the Editor: 

" Our community was disgraced last night by a per- 
formance at the river near the bridge. We do not under- 
stand why a mountebank should be allowed to enter our 
town and try to break the peace we enjoy. Everybody 
with horse sense knows that Jesus was never dipped in a 
mud hole. It surprised us that a prominent citizen could 
be so easily led away, and we will pray that the Holy 
Ghost will bring him back to his senses. 

"H. O. Showtkr." 
"Dear Editor: 

"My attention has been called to c the doin's at the 
creek/ I want to say that there is no Scripture warrant 
for such actions. Paul arose and was baptized. Any one 
ought to know from that that he stood up and was bap- 
tized right there in his own house. Peter says : ' We are 
elect through sanctification .and sprinkling of the blood of 
Christ.' There is no dipping in that. I think all orthodox 



* I need not state here that scholarship and the Bible 
give a lie to this statement. — M. D. B. 



124 TH E KINGS HIGHWAY. 

Christians ought to stay away from those meetings ; those 
people do not amount to anything, anyhow. 

" R. W. MORNER." 
"Dear Sir: 

" I have been requested by several to express my opin- 
ions concerning the immersion the other night. Kindly 
let me say that I think it entirely uncalled for. Undoubt- 
edly either of those gentlemen could have found a church 
home in one of our several churches, had they so desired. 

" James P. Quenton." 

As neither these letters nor the frowns of the self- 
righteous retarded the meetings, a new movement was 
inaugurated by the churches. The Gazette of the next 
week announced in large type : 

"Grand Union Meetings 

of 
All the Churches. 

" Rev. Eugene De Tere Howter, the cele- 
brated evangelist from Chicago, will conduct 
revival meetings every night 

AT THE OPERA HOUSE. 

Beginning Sunday Morning." 

In addition to this advertisement, which was given a 
prominent place on the first page, notices were scattered 
among the news items. These consisted of recommenda- 
tions, notices of other meetings, etc. Soon the two meet- 
ings, one for Christ and His church, the other for denomi- 
nationalism and its manifold theories, were the talk of the 



the: kings highway. 125 

town. Every night persons stood up for prayer or went 
forward to the anxious-seat, and the fact was heralded by 
tongue and paper all through the neighborhood. Every 
week The Gazette devoted a column or more to the union 
meetings and their wonderful results. But what of the 
little meeting? The stranger seemed not to be surprised 
at the union meetings, nor a^ the neglect of the town 
paper. Quietly and prayerfully he labored day after day. 
Each evening found him proclaiming Christ and Him cru- 
cified. And again and again souls listened to his pleading 
and turned from the error of their ways. Many were per- 
suaded concerning the Way, but feared the scorn, or loved 
the praise of men more than of God, and halted between 
two opinions. Committees had been organized to visit 
those who were getting interested in the little meeting. 
These were either persuaded to attend the union meet- 
ings or kept at home by visitors at the hour of meeting 
No effort was left unused to prevent the success of the 
stranger's meeting. Angry parents forbade their chil- 
dren, upon pain of disinheritance, to become Christians. 
One man went so far as to threaten to shoot the preacher 
if he should baptize his wife. But threats and scoffs 
did not ruin the meeting. The ministers and " orthodox 
Christians " soon learned to leave the converts alone, for 
they were able to give such reasons for the course they 
had taken that none could gainsay. Moreover, it did not 
add to the dignity of a clergyman to be defeated in argu- 
ment by a girl or boy of seventeen. When nothing else 
would avail, like those of old, they were filled with wrath 
and cried long and loud, " Great is Diana of the Ephe- 
sians," or as it is expressed to-day, Orthodoxy is right ; 



126 the king's highway. 

it is aged ; it suited my grandmother, and it ought to suit 
you. Hurrah! Hallelujah! Ah! 

The excitement of the meetings was not confined to 
the village, but spread through the country for several 
miles. The country community, like the town, divided 
itself into two camps, creating a bitterness that was not 
erased for several years. ' The stranger made several 
attempts to prevent this folly by visiting the ministers 
and endeavoring to explain his work to them, but they 
refused to recognize him. Nothing was left, then, but to 
press on, unheeding the slurs and innuendoes, and work 
and pray for success. 

At the end of the fourth week those in charge an- 
nounced that two hundred cards of conversion had been 
signed; while the stranger thanked God that sixty-seven 
souls had been brought to Christ. And in another week 
both meetings would close. 

Many of the members of the club had attended the 
stranger's meetings, while others were in regular attend- 
ance at the union meetings. It was therefore decided that 
a meeting should be called and the stranger and the evan- 
gelist invited to address them. Those who had been bap- 
tized felt that they no longer needed the club, because 
they had something better. A few of the others wanted 
to be certain before they disbanded. As rapidly as pos- 
sible the members were seen and arrangements made for 
a final meeting on Tuesday afternoon. Invitations were 
sent to the two ministers, acquainting them with the 
club's desires. The great evangelist promised to come, 
but on learning that the stranger would also address the 
meeting, decided that his converts needed a prayer meet- 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. \2J 

ing that afternoon, and arranged accordingly. A hearty 
reply to their invitation came from the stranger, who prom- 
ised to be with them and talk to them on "The Holy 
Spirit," and answer any questions that might be asked. 
This news was soon spread abroad, and the attendants at 
the union meeting were notified that Rev. Howter would 
preach on the same subject Monday evening. When the 
stranger heard this, he announced that he would have no 
meeting that night, but that they would all attend the 
other meeting and hear the sermon, thus giving the club 
an opportunity of hearing both sides of the question. 



CHAPTER XV. 

The Last Meeting. 

The attendants at the union meeting were greatly sur- 
prised on Monday evening to behold the stranger and 
a great part of his congregation occupying prominent 
positions in the opera house. Quite a few of them had 
their Bibles, for which, however, they found little use. 
It was noticed that two or three visiting clergymen were 
escorted to the stage as soon as they were noticed in the 
audience, but no such honor was conferred upon the 
stranger. True, he was pointed out by one or two on 
the stage, but beyond this no further notice was taken of 
him. When the time for service arrived the great (?) 
evangelist announced as his text John 20 : 22 : " He 
breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the 
Holy Ghost ;" and began his sermon. Like the old 
preacher, he took his text, and preached from it — very 
far from it, in fact. The sermon contained nothing new 
or startling; very little Bible was used, but the common 
theory of miraculous conversion, due to the immediate 
reception of the Holy Ghost, was presented. The main 
argument was that the sinner could do nothing until the 
Spirit had regenerated him, and the Spirit would only 
come by seeking and prayer. The anxious-seat was 
extolled as the place where many had received this bless- 
ing. The discourse was marred by a narrow and foolish 
(128) 



the; king s highway. 129 

sectarianism, that gave vent to itself in bitter invectives 
hurled at the stranger and his converts. He pleaded for 
a return to the religion of the fathers and mothers of the 
present generation, claiming that millions had lived in the 
exercise of their faith and the enjoyment of its gracious 
assurance, and that millions had died in that faith whose 
consciences were never disturbed by questions of the mode 
of agency of the Holy Spirit. He bitterly denounced any 
one who would question the common mode of religious 
thought, and closed with an earnest invitation for sinners 
to come to the altar and receive the Spirit. As soon as 
the singing began, several went forward and prostrated 
themselves before the altar, while others began passing 
to and fro among the audience, inviting, cajoling, or 
threatening. The prayers were in keeping with the ser- 
mon and the songs, and such expressions as " Come just 
now, Lord I" " Give us a baptism of fire !" "A baptism 
from on high !" " Holy Ghost and fire !" " Pour out a 
Pentecostal shower !" were frequently used. At the con- 
clusion of the evening's service it was announced that six 
had found peace and seventeen more were seeking. 

The address to the club the next afternoon was of a 
totally different character. No appeal to prejudice was 
made; no harsh criticisms offered. The preacher dis- 
coursed in a simple manner the agency of the Holy 
Spirit, developing the idea that the Spirit was not sent 
to dwell in man to make him a Christian, but because he 
was one. The gift was not given to sinners to make 
them believe and obey, but to the saint because he had 
obeyed. Also, that the Spirit in conversion operates on 
persons always through the Word. 



130 THE KING S HIGHWAY. 

Briefly speaking, his arguments were as follows : One 
thing is finally settled, namely, that he is a person. (1) 
The pronoun he is used in John 16: 13 ; 14: 36. (2) Acts, 
such as belong to a personal agent, are attributed to him. 
See John 16:13; 15:2; 16:8; Rom. 8:26; Acts 3:2. 
(3) He could be resisted. (Acts 7: 51 ; 1 Thess. 5: 19.) 
His mission terminates with the churches of Christ. 
The world can not receive him. (John 6: 37, 39 ; 14: 17.) 
Aliens are not a fit habitation of the Spirit, neither are 
they the temple wherein he dwells. Being disobedient, 
they lie under condemnation, without hope and without 
God. The Spirit is given in answer to obedient love, 
therefore we read, " The Holy Spirit whom God hath 
given to them that obey him " (Acts 5 : 32). There is a 
wide difference between the work of the Spirit upon men 
to make them believers and the gift of the Spirit to men 
who have believed and obeyed. There is no authentic 
instance where the former was done without the use of 
the word. 

On the " Baptism of the Spirit," a subject upon which 
the union meeting dwelt much, the stranger gave the 
following explanation : 

" The Savior speaks of it thus : ' For John indeed bap- 
tized in water ; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit 
not many days hence ' (Acts 1 : 5, Am. Rev.). This was 
fulfilled on Pentecost, when suddenly there came from 
heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and 
it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there 
appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of 
fire ; and it sat upon each of them. And they were filled 
with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. I3I 

tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance ' (Acts 2: 24). 
Again : ' While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy 
Spirit fell on all those which heard the word. And they 
of the circumcision which believed were amazed, as many 
as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also 
was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit. For they 
heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God ' (Acts 
10:44-47). Please notice that in both cases the baptism 
was a sudden transaction. It was involuntary as to those 
who received it. In both instances the recipients 'spake 
with tongues,' or, if you please, in other languages." 

After the discourse, in which other features of the 
subject were touched on, the stranger suggested that they 
have an informal discussion, or that he would, if desired, 
answer questions. 

Dr. Sherndon was the first to respond with a ques- 
tion. " How does the Spirit convince the world of sin, 
righteousness and judgment?" 

" By argument. On Pentecost he spake through the 
apostles. In Cornelius' house he spoke through Peter. 
To-day we use his word." 

" How can we distinguish the Spirit from simple 
morality?" asked a member. 

" The Spirit glorifies Christ. Simple morality tries 
to place the glory elsewhere. Morality does not lead 
to obedience. Its model is unknown, and its fruits are 
uncertain." 

" How does the Spirit dwell in us if we can't feel it?" 
asked Mrs. Suete. 

" By faith. ' That ye may be strengthened with power 
through his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may 



132 TH^ kings highway. 

dwell in your hearts through faith' (Eph. 3: 17). 'If a 
man love me, he will keep my words : and my Father will 
love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode 
with him ' (John 14:23)." 

" If faith comes by hearing and not by the Spirit's 
gift, why don't all have faith?" was Mr Title's query. 

" Jesus said men are blinded by seeking worldly 
things. We have a manifestation of this in our town at 
the present time. For more of this read the parable of 
the soils (Matt. 4: 1-20)." 

" Did not God open Lydia's heart ?" was the next one. 

" Yes ! But he did it by Paul's teaching, as you will 
learn from Acts 15: 13, 14; Rom. 10: 10, 17." 

" Is the gospel the only method Jesus uses to draw 
us to him?" 

" Jesus said : ' Every one that hath heard from the 
Father, and hath learned, cometh to me' (John 6:45). 
He also says they shall be taught of God. The gospel 
is the power of God unto salvation to every one that 
believeth ; no other way has ever been presented." 

" I do not agree with the gentleman," said one of 
the members, who had been at the anxious-seat during 
the present revival. " We are told that the Lord opened 
Lydia's heart. The meaning of this is that divine power 
was brought to bear upon her, which led her to give 
heed to Paul's preaching. The Lord made a distinction 
between what he did and what Paul did. Paul spoke the 
word, but the Lord opened her heart. I am sure that 
divine power does not reside in words, and the gentleman 
must acknowledge that we are right and he is wrong." 

" Jesus taught that divine power does reside in words. 



THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 133 

4 The words I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are 
life.' ' The word of God is the seed of the kingdom.' 
4 Life is in the seed.' Peter was to tell ' words whereby 
he [Cornelius] and his household were to be saved.' ' For 
this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of 
God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out 
of the water and in the water.' 

" But why multiply references to the Scriptures ? 
Surely these will convince any one whether I am right 
or not. Again, if our friend will read Acts 16, he will 
learn that ' by the foolishness of preaching,' and not by 
his theory of the Holy Spirit, Lydia was saved." 

" If the Spirit don't speak peace to our souls," shouted 
another, springing to his feet and gesticulating wildly, 
"how can we tell when we are pardoned? I know I 
am pardoned and wonderfully converted. Hallelujah! I 
have my witness here," he continued, striking his breast, 
" and no one can deny it." 

"Jesus said: 'If I bear witness of myself, my wit- 
ness is not true ' (John 5 : 31). Are you any better than 
he?" replied the preacher, quietly. "Now, do not get 
excited. Your evidence is very weak. If you sift this 
mourners' bench theory, you will find that it is a theory, 
and nothing more. The effect is a psychological one that 
is well known ; excitement of any kind may bring it on. 
It is nothing more or less than a type of hypnotism, or 
mind influence. The seeker is thrown into a certain state 
of mind ; he knows this, but does not know what pro- 
duces it, and therefore imagines, because some one says 
so, that it is produced by the Spirit. We need some more 
tangible evidence than this. I also know that I am par- 



134 THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 

doned. Paul says : ' Whereas ye were servants of sin, ye 
became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching 
whereunto ye were delivered ; and being made free from 
sin, ye became servants of righteousness.' I want no 
better evidence than this to tell me that the Spirit beareth 
witness with our spirit, that we are children of God." 

" Mr. Preacher, wasn't Paul's sins forgiven like mine ? 
I think you will find a mourner there/' asked another 
member. 

" Paul's sins were forgiven when he had obeyed the 
form of teaching — the gospel — not before. You can not 
find precedent for the mourners' bench in this instance. 
When Ananias came to Paul and found him praying, he 
told him his message. ' The God of our fathers hath 
appointed thee to know his will and to see the Righteous 
One, and to hear a voice from his mouth. For thou sh alt- 
be a witness For him unto all men of what thou hast 
seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and 
be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name.' 

" Let me repeat what I said the other night. Faith, 
repentance and baptism are prerequisites to forgiveness of 
sin under the gospel dispensation. God has revealed no 
other way." 

" I believe if the heart is only right, that is all that 
is necessary," interrupted another. 

"Are you sure the heart is right, when you will not 
hear and obey the simple commands of your Savior?" 
was the reply. " Jesus says : ' If ye keep my command- 
ments, ye shall abide in my love' (John 15: 10). 

" One thing more and then I will close. If feelings 
are an evidence of pardon, what use have we of the 



THE KING'S HIGHWAY. 135 

Bible? If we can not appeal to God's Word, how can 
we know anything- about pardon ? Either your theory or 
the Bible must fall, for they contradict each other, and 
truths do not contradict anything but falsehood," 

After a few minutes of desultory conversation on the 
subject, Dr. Sherndon arose and requested the members 
to listen to a few remarks on what he considered the duty 
of the club. 

" You know," he began, " that we have examined 
many questions during our meetings. The ministers of 
our town churches have presented their views before us, 
and we have found them lacking in various ways. This 
gentleman asks us to be Christians — nothing more, 
nothing less ; he has upheld his every view. He has pre- 
sented a Biblical command for his teaching and practice. 
What more can we ask? I believe he has brought to us 
that which we were seeking, namely, an apostolic church. 
Sectarian names and churches no longer attract me. I 
want nothing but the gospel of Christ. I will go nowhere 
but to Him. I will be a member of nothing but the one 
body. Am I right? I know I am. 

" If you and I had been lost on the ocean, and had 
drifted to some uninhabitable island and there read the 
Bible, what would we have done? Supposing we had 
obeyed its commands and had become followers of the 
Lord, what church would we have belonged to? What 
name would we have worn? Why not, then, in this civi- 
lized country, stand for Christ and his church, wearing 
no name but the divine one, recognizing no authority but 
Christ's. I do not know what you will do, but as for me 
and niv house, we will serve God. and him only." 



136 the: king's highway. 

The discussion that followed the Doctor's remarks was 
long and earnest. Many were in favor of following the 
good example set before them ; others were not quite 
ready for such a move, and thought it wise to wait a 
while. Others, again, were bitterly opposed to leaving 
their respective churches. A few denounced the stranger 
for coming to Westville and causing the disturbance. 
When it was found that no conclusion would be reached, 
John Suete proposed that each one would state his pref- 
erence on a slip of paper; if a majority decided to dis- 
band, or enter some church, the others would agree. 
Four members were appointed to distribute and then 
collect the papers. Each paper was carefully examined, 
and the presiding officer announced that ninety-one pre- 
ferred the church of Christ, forty-three refused to leave 
their respective churches, and seven had no choice. After 
a short speech, the presiding officer asked Dr. Sherndon 
to close the work of the club with prayer. 

Dr. Sherndon's prayer was touching, and breathed out 
the Spirit of his Master: 

" Our Father, God ! Thou hast led us in pleasant 
paths of inquiry and research. Thou hast filled our 
minds with the wisdom that makes us wise unto salva- 
tion. Aid us, we pray Thee, in Thy mercy to continue 
faithful to the lessons we have learned. The grandeur 
of unity has been brought to our notice. Oh, Lord, help 
us to walk as one forever ! We are one family, adopted 
children. Oh, be with us, that we may not depart from 
the plain path ! Forgive us wherein we have done wrong 
and strengthen us for better service. We thank Thee for 
Thy mercy; for Thy love; for Thy truth. We earnestly 



THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 137 

thank Thee that our brother has been permitted to bring 
unto us the bread of life. And now we pray Thee that 
we may all be drawn closer together in the bonds of 
love ; and to Thee we will give praise and honor forever 
in Jesus' name. Amen." 

At the close of the prayer the members quietly dis • 
persed, and the history of the Truth Seekers' Club came 
to an end. 



CHAPTER XVI. 
Finis. 

That evening the stranger announced that his meet- 
ing would close the next Lord's day, and earnestly invited 
any who desired to become Christians to present them- 
selves before that time. Night after night the members 
of the club confessed their Lord and were buried with 
him in baptism. Others followed the good example until 
one hundred and thirty-seven were numbered with the 
saved. On Sunday the stranger introduced a Brother 
Vinton, who would preach to them in the evening, and 
who, he earnestly hoped, would labor with them and for 
them as their evangelist during the ensuing year. Of 
that last meeting we will say nothing; friends must part 
in this world, and the farewells are soon said. The 
stranger departed the next morning to his new field 
of labor, carrying with him the blessings of the little 
congregation. 

The union meetings continued two more weeks, and 
announced that two hundred and forty-four had found 
peace with God. These were given the privilege of join- 
ing any church they chose. After several days of hard 
labor among these converts, the pastors bitterly bewailed 
the fact that only ninety-seven had united with the 
churches. 

(138) 



the; king's highway. 139 

Let us look back over the two years intervening 
between now and the great meetings. Our story will be 
the story of any town. Brother Vinton had labored faith- 
fully and well ; many souls had been added to Christ. 
More than two hundred faithful members represented the 
cause of Christ. The church was doing its duty, and 
Westville was better for its existence. Much of the bit- 
terness — at least the open bitterness that was displayed 
when the stranger was there — had disappeared. Another 
and greater danger confronted the church, namely, the 
silly theory that one church is as good as another. To 
this was added the attempt of the churches to have the 
new congregation depart from its doctrine and practice 
by adding things unwritten. The doctrine of popularity 
was insidiously preached to the younger members. They 
were informed by friends ( ?) that they were being neg- 
lected by the church and ought to have X. Y. Z. and other 
societies to keep them at work. Could we have entered 
the circle of Christians standing firm and steadfast and 
watched their daily walk and conversation, we could have 
learned the power of God's truth and way. Every Lord's 
day found the members gathered in the chapel to worship 
God. In this worship they made no attempt by operatic 
singing to please the people. In singleness of heart they 
gathered to worship God. 

After the opening hymn had been sung, some one 
chosen before the day presided at the meeting. The 
officers were not drivers or bosses, but examples to the 
flock. In the choice of these men the church had care- 
fully and prayerfully endeavored to provide itself with 
leaders who could teach, and who were of good repute in 



I40 THE KINGS HIGHWAY. 

the neighborhood. On this Lord's day we find our old 
friends, now elders in the congregation, John Suete and 
Dr. Sherndon, presiding. The prayers were heartfelt, the 
singing was done with the spirit and with understanding, 
and the exhortations were strong and earnestly given. It 
could be truly said of this congregation that each one had 
a hymn, a prayer, an exhortation, an admonition. One 
thing was especially noticeable : there was always enough 
money in the treasury for missionary work, caring for the 
poor, and other necessary things. Their minister was an 
evangelist who labored under the advice of the church 
and was supported by them. Every one contributed of 
his means on the Lord's day, and the Lord's treasury was 
not built up by suppers and other silly devices. Their 
poor and their widows had an abundance, and their good 
deeds were known and read of all men. In their mis- 
sionary work they followed the early churches. Lnder 
the fostering care of the Westville church, four other 
congregations had been organized in the country, and 
these five churches, besides their work at home and in 
the neighboring communities, were helping a laborer in 
far-off Japan. 

But why continue our story farther? It would only 
be the history of many congregations who are contending 
for the faith once for all delivered unto the saints. Each 
year found new souls added ; each year found some 
departed to their eternal home. Some had fallen by the 
wayside ; others, fascinated by the glitter of denomina- 
tionalism, had departed from the faith, thinking more of 
the praise of man than of God. Thus we leave them. 
The little beginning in John Suete's office had grown to 



the king's highway. 141 

a mighty work for God. Many who first came to the 
Truth Seekers' Club with but a faint knowledge of God's 
Word were towers of strength in the cause of Christ. So 
may it be with you, dear reader. He who carefully and 
prayerfully studies God's Word can not be led astray. 



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